POLYVAGAL TRAUMA THERAPY CERTIFICATE
Advanced somatic training for mental health professionals
Stop the trauma feedback loop — at its source.
Trauma shapes how the nervous system detects safety and danger.
When that detection system becomes biased toward threat, survival responses interrupt connection — reinforcing the original wound, altering perception, and maintaining dysregulation.
This Polyvagal Trauma Therapy Certificate trains you to read, understand, and reorganize those autonomic patterns so clients can safely move from protection into access to the full range of human experience — connection, curiosity, intimacy, and coherent engagement — where healing and transformation become possible.
A structured clinical model for safely sequencing trauma recovery through somatic therapy — through the nervous system.
JOIN US FOR THE LIVE & ONLINE FREE PREVIEW EVENT
JAN WINHALL
DR. ARIELLE SCHWARTZ
Sign up below to join the live online Preview Event for free!
Sunday, March 8th, 2026 from 3 - 4:30pm ET
WHY POLYVAGAL TRAUMA THERAPY?
Even in skilled trauma work, many clients:
Understand their trauma and still feel physiologically stuck
Regress into shutdown or dissociation when approaching the wound
Activate protective responses that derail relational repair
Show progress in session that does not hold under stress
Lose access to presence right when healing begins to unfold
This is not resistance. It is neuroception — the body continuing to detect danger and prioritize survival.
Applied Polyvagal Trauma Therapy strengthens the clinician's ability to recognize protection early—before overwhelm takes hold—and sequence interventions aligned with autonomic capacity. It supports stabilizing connection during activation and trauma processing, while also guiding defensive completion when survival states are interrupted. Throughout this work, clinicians learn to track nervous system change as the foundation of transformation.
The shift is from managing symptoms to preventing dysregulation through a physiology-guided treatment process. This is how trauma healing becomes consistent, relational, and sustainable.
WHAT IS POLYVAGAL THEORY?
Polyvagal Theory describes how the autonomic nervous system continually evaluates safety and threat through neuroception — outside conscious control.
It outlines three primary adaptive survival states:
Ventral Vagal — Social Engagement System
Regulated physiology → access to connection, curiosity, and presence
Sympathetic Mobilization
Fight/flight activation → action to manage challenge or escape danger
Dorsal Vagal Shutdown
Immobilization response → collapse, numbness, disconnection when escape feels impossible
These states influence:
behavior
attention
relational availability
memory access
clinical engagement
In trauma, the nervous system often continues to predict threat — even in safe environments.
Autonomic protection becomes constant, persistent, and costly.
Polyvagal-informed therapy works directly with these physiological shifts to:
Assess the client’s state and capacity
Support regulation that can withstand activation
Sequence trauma work without overwhelm
Reorganize how safety is detected
Retire survival responses that are no longer needed
Therapy becomes guided by what the system is ready for — not solely by narrative content.
MEET YOUR FACULTY
Internationally recognized leaders bring to life a holistic and unified somatic curriculum.
DR. SCOTT LYONS
Clinical Psychologist, Somatic Therapist, and founder of The Embody Lab
DR. JANINA FISHER
Licensed Clinical Psychologist and International Trauma Specialist
DR. STEPHEN PORGES
Psychologist, Neuroscientist, and Developer of Polyvagal Theory
DEB DANA, LCSW
Polyvagal Theory & Complex Trauma Specialist, Clinician, and Author
LINDA THAI, LMSW
Somatic therapist, Integrative Trauma Therapist, Educator and Speaker
JAN WINHALL
Author, Teacher and seasoned Trauma & Addiction Psychotherapist
DR. ARIELLE SCHWARTZ
Clinical Psychologist and Somatic Trauma Specialist
BG MANCINI, AP, MHSc
Neurodevelopmental Specialist and founder of The Brain & Gut Institute
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
This program supports practitioners in developing competencies to:
✔ Recognize and map autonomic states and blended survival responses
✔ Work with developmental trauma, preverbal memory, and procedural patterns
✔ Pace intervention to match actual capacity
✔ Support shifts from defensive survival into adaptive engagement
✔ Maintain connection during activation and trauma processing
✔ Interrupt the trauma feedback loop as it’s happening
✔ Integrate somatic interventions without triggering overwhelm
You don’t just learn the method — you practice the method with expert guidance.
You will leave with a reliable pathway for guiding change — rather than hoping regulation sticks.
CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS
Throughout this certificate you’ll learn how to:
Detect blended autonomic states and dissociation in real time
Use felt-sense titration to safely access traumatic material
Reorganize trauma memory networks through autonomic pacing
Expand social engagement through relational co-regulation
Work with freeze physiology beyond “fight or flight”
Support clients with chronic pain and dysautonomia
Shift threat perception by updating neuroception
Interrupt the trauma feedback loop as it’s unfolding
Integrate breath + vagal toning to build durable capacity
Apply somatic tools without overwhelm or shutdown
Contextualize states within cultural and systemic trauma
Guide identity and relational shifts during integration
Not just learning techniques — learning how to sequence them with precision.
THE TRAUMA FEEDBACK LOOP
Trauma alters how the nervous system perceives and prioritizes safety and danger.
When neuroception remains biased toward threat, protective responses activate quickly and automatically — even when the environment is safe.
This can create a reinforcing cycle:
2
The nervous system shifts into protection
1
A cue — internal or external — is interpreted as danger
3
Behavior and perception align with that defensive state
4
The outcome
appears to confirm the danger
→ THE LOOP RESTARTS
This cycle maintains:
Hypervigilance or collapse
Chronic dysregulation
Repetitive relational patterns
Survival-based identity
Limited access to engagement and vitality
This training teaches you to:
Identify the loop early
Track what is driving protection
Interrupt defensive momentum
Restore access to a broader range of response
Support systems in learning safety again
When the trauma feedback loop reorganizes, clients gain connection, curiosity, agency, and emotional availability without the system defaulting back to survival.
“I've read the Polyvagal books. I've taken the introductory trainings. This is the first program that taught me what to actually do when a client drops into shutdown.”
— ROBIN M., STUDENT
The Six-Phase Polyvagal Trauma Therapy Model
A clinically structured progression aligned with autonomic readiness
1. RECOGNIZING
Primary Aim: Identify autonomic states & protection patterns
Example Clinical Applications: Interoception mapping, dissociation assessment, state tracking
2. RESOURCING
Primary Aim: Strengthen safety and capacity first
Example Clinical Applications: Vagal toning, orienting, co-regulation strategies, glimmers
3. REWIRING
Primary Aim: Expand flexibility and tolerance
Example Clinical Applications: Felt-sense titration, somatic reappraisal, relational safety
4. REPATTERNING
Primary Aim: Shift survival-based behaviors
Example Clinical Applications: Interrupting trauma loops, freeze work, movement for state change
5. REPROCESSING
Primary Aim: Access traumatic memory networks when ready
Example Clinical Applications: Memory reconsolidation, autonomic pacing, chronic pain lens
6. REINTEGRATION
Primary Aim: Stabilize identity and relational change
Example Clinical Applications: Post-traumatic growth pathways, future safety mapping
Each intervention is applied at the right phase → the right moment → for the right nervous system.
This is trauma therapy with readiness, clarity, and clinical precision.
WHAT MAKES THIS CERTIFICATE UNIQUE
Most trauma programs teach tools. This isn't a lecture series or a passive webinar. It's 60+ hours of live, applied training with clinical demonstration and supervised practice.
This one teaches:
How to know when a system is ready
How to match intervention to state
How to prevent overwhelm before it happens
How to work with dissociation as an adaptive response
How to track autonomic change that holds
Polyvagal Trauma Therapy isn’t a loose collection of techniques — it is a clinical pathway that restores safety and possibility to the system that lost it. This eliminates guesswork, reduces retraumatization risk, and supports results that generalize into life.
PROGRAM REGISTRATION
THE LIVE PROGRAM BEGINS FEBRUARY 2ND
REGISTER FOR THE CERTIFICATE NOW
PAYMENT PLAN AVAILABLE AT CHECKOUT.
Upon registration you will receive a welcome email with details on how to access the program.
You will have lifetime access to the on-demand training sessions.
Program valued at $1493
Non-Members pay only...
$1227 USD
SAVE $266 AND JOIN THE REVOLUTION OF COMING HOME TO THE BODY!
PAYMENT PLAN AVAILABLE AT CHECKOUT
Program valued at $1493
ONLY $977 USD
MEMBERS SAVE $516
NOT A MEMBER? JOIN FREE FOR 14 DAYS AT CHECKOUT & SAVE!*
PAYMENT PLAN AVAILABLE AT CHECKOUT
*14-Day FREE Membership trial is included with your purchase. After 14-days you pay $26 per month. Cancel at anytime.
“Finally, a Polyvagal program that actually shows me how to work with the body.”
WHY THE FELT SENSE MATTERS IN TRAUMA RECOVERY
Trauma protection lives in the body — not just the story. This certificate teaches you to:
Use interoceptive awareness as a real-time map of protection and readiness
Work with sensations directly to titrate traumatic material
Support shifts in state before adding narrative or meaning
Use the felt sense to update neuroception, not just manage it
You’ll learn how to help clients stay present with sensation safely — so change occurs in the physiology, not only in cognition.
PROGRAM DETAILS
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
This 60 hour certificate program will run live and online from April 19th to July 13th, 2026. The program will include 24 classes over 12 weeks, all available to watch online and on-demand at your own pace. There will also be a Student Orientation and two optional Community Connection sessions.
All sessions can be completed via your online Content Library which you will gain access to upon registration.
Student Orientation (1,5 hours): Sunday, April 19th, 2026 from 6 - 7:30pm ET
Live Sessions (Weekdays, 60 hours total)
Weekday modules with lectures, demos, and experiential practices.
Mondays from 6 - 8:30pm ET
Wednesdays from 11:30am - 2pm ET
No class on Monday, June 6th, 2026
Community Connection & Practice Sessions (3 hours)
Peer integration space.
Dates: Tuesday, May 19, 2026 from 6 - 7:30pm ET and Thursday, June 11, 2026 from 3 - 4:30pm ET.
See how this translates into your timezone.
HOMEWORK
There are no homework assignments during the program.
LEARNING PLATFORM FORMAT
ZOOM: The live portion of the certificate program will be offered online using the video conferencing platform Zoom, in meeting format, to allow instructors and students to interact, ask questions and participate in breakout sessions.
ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM: The online learning platform will host all the information about the course including:
Detailed schedule and reminder emails of upcoming sessions
How to access the live sessions via Zoom
Supporting materials such as PDFs of the reading material and presentations
ACCESSIBILITY
VIDEO / AUDIO: Within the online learning platform, students may watch the video within their online library or download the video or audio to their computer. They will have lifetime access to the content.
LIVE CAPTIONING / TRANSCRIPTS: Captioning during live sessions and transcripts will be offered in English.
READING LISTS: Each instructor will provide required or recommended readings.
Required readings will be available freely online or in PDF format.
Recommended readings are optional and for futher exploration. They may include books, online articles etc.
PDFs of the instructor’s presentation will also be provided.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Below are the requirements to receive the Certificate of Completion within 3 months of the last live session:
Attend the live sessions or watch the recordings.
Complete the Self Evaluation & Reflection after each module. (Please note: This should be completed within 3 months after the last live session.)
Submit full payment.
REGISTRATION / ENROLLMENT / TUITION
Enroll for the certificate program by choosing one of two registration options here. Once you register, you will receive a welcome email with how to access all the details for the certificate program.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
+ Who is this program designed for?
This program is a certification process that distills an educational methodology to integrate into a variety of modalities such as: Social Workers, Mental Health & Pastoral Counselors, Yoga Therapists / Yoga Teachers, Movement Therapists, Coaches, Physicians (MD, DO, ND, DC & others) & Physician Assistants, Nurses & Nurse Practitioners, Psychologists, Emergency Medical Personnel, Meditation Teachers, Educators, Massage Therapists, Acupuncturists & Body Workers, Hypnotherapists, Kinesiologists, Complementary & Alternative Medicine Professionals, Clergy & Religious Leaders, other Wellness Professionals.
This is an education program and not a licenser program.
+ What are the dates, schedule and time commitment?
This 60 hour certificate program will run from April 19th to July 13th, 2026. A detailed schedule will be provided when registering. All live sessions will be recorded and students may watch in their own time:
All sessions can be completed via your online Content Library which you will gain access to upon registration.
Student Orientation (1,5 hours): Sunday, April 19th, 2026 from 6 - 7:30pm ET
Weekly Classes:
Monday, April 20th, 2026 through Monday, July 13th, 2026 on:
- Monday, April 20, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, April 22, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, April 27, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, April 29, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, May 4, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, May 6, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, May 11, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, May 13, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, May 18, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, May 20, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, May 25, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, May 27, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, June 1, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, June 3, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, June 8, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, June 10, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, June 15, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, June 17, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, June 22, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, June 24, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, June 29, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
- Wednesday, July 1, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- NO CLASS - Monday, June 6, 2026
- Wednesday, July 8, 2026 from 11:30am - 2pm ET
- Monday, July 13, 2026 from 6 - 8:30pm ET
Community Connection & Practice Sessions (3 hours):
- Tuesday, May 19, 2026 from 6 - 7:30pm ET
- Thursday, June 11, 2026 from 3 - 4:30pm ET
A detailed schedule will be provided upon registration. Because of the complexities with international time zones, we have only listed U.S. Eastern Time (ET) above. See how this translates into your timezone.
+ Will there be an orientation session?
Yes, there will be an orientation session on Sunday, April 19, 2026 from 6 - 7:30pm ET.
+ Do I need to attend live or am I able to watch recordings?
All live sessions will also be recorded so students may watch in their own time (more information below). Please note, captioning is only available during the live sessions.
+ How can I interact with the instructors? Will I receive guidance?
During each of the live sessions, the instructors will have a Q&A period where you may ask questions. Two Community Connection sessions will also be offered with the faculty. A private online community forum will be provided for the certificate.
+ Do you offer scholarships?
For every 200 enrolled students, we are able to offer:
- 10 Full Scholarships (100%)
- 10 Partial Scholarships (50%)
How to Apply:
- Please complete this scholarship form 11:59pm ET on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
- Scholarship results will be communicated by end of day Sunday, April 5, 2026.
+ What are the homework requirements?
There are no homework assignments during the program.
+ Is there a deadline for registration?
Please register by the day before the program begins.
+ Do you offer refunds?
We offer a Registration Guarantee which means that if you register but decide the course isn’t right for you, we’ll refund your course fee - no questions asked - up to 48 hours before the course start date. No refunds are available after this time or once the program commences.
+ How can I access the online course and recordings?
ZOOM FOR LIVE SESSIONS: The live portion of the certificate program will be offered online using the video conferencing platform Zoom, in meeting format, to allow instructors and students to interact, ask questions and participate in breakout sessions.
ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM: Once you register, you will receive access to our online learning platform which will include all the information about the certificate, including:
- Detailed schedules
- How to access the live sessions via Zoom
- Recordings of all live sessions uploaded within 48 hours of the end of the live session
- Supporting materials provided by your instructors
ACCESSIBILITY | Video / Audio: Within our online learning platform, you may watch the video within your online library or download the video or audio to your computer. You will have lifetime access to the content.
ACCESSIBILITY | Live Captioning / Transcripts: Captioning will be available during the live sessions. Transcripts will be offered in English.
ACCESSIBILITY | Reading Lists: The reading list will include items available at the public library or will be provided as a PDF where possible. PDFs of the instructor’s presentation will also be provided.
+ Is this a summit?
No, this is an integrated curriculum co-created by the faculty. The faculty are colleagues in this program. They are working together to make sure each individual module is cohesive with the entire curriculum. Every teacher is informed about what is coming before and what is coming after and integrating their curriculum based on that information.
+ Is this a theoretical or practical (experiential) program?
While some theory will be presented to support the learning, the primary focus of the practice is experiential, giving practical tools for the participants.
+ Will I receive a certificate?
You’ll receive a Certificate of Completion once you have completed the following:
- Attended the live sessions or watched the recordings.
- Completed the Self Evaluation & Reflections after each module. (Please note: This should be completed within 3 months after the last live session.)
- Submitted full payment.
All students who complete this program will receive a Certificate of Completion whether they attend it LIVE or watch the RECORDINGS.
+ Will Continuing Education Units (CEUs) be offered?
CEs are available for Health Professionals upon completion of the live training. Please note - Live attendance is required.
To register your interest for CE credits for this program and more detailed information, please visit this link: https://forms.gle/76mwhjgG5vnzVw9BA
Below is more information on the health professionals which may be eligible for CEs through the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is co-sponsoring this program.
- CE credits for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is sponsoring this program. The Spiritual Competency Academy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Spiritual Competency Academy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
- The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by sponsors of CE who are approved by the American Psychological Association.
- LCSW, LPCC, LEP and LMFTs, and other professionals from outside of California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept credits from programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
- SCA is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN Provider CEP16887) for licensed nurses in California. RNs must retain their certificate of attendance for 4 years after the course concludes. Nurses outside of California must confirm acceptance with their licensing boards.
- For questions about your certificate or the content, logistics, or other support issues regarding this course, please contact The Embody Lab at info@theembodylab.com.
- For questions about whether APA CE is valid for you, contact your licensing board directly.
- For general questions about APA CE, contact SCA at ce@spiritualcompetencyacademy.com.
FROM A DIFFERENT STATE OR COUNTRY?
Health professionals from a state or country outside of California need to check with their licensing boards as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of Continuing Education by the American Psychological Association (APA).
DIFFERENT CREDENTIAL?
If your credential is not listed, please check with your licensing board as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of Continuing Education by the American Psychological Association (APA).
The SCA and The Embody Lab are not able to determine your eligibility.
“The six-phase model changed how I think about pacing. I'm no longer guessing when to resource versus when to process.”
— MARCUS J., STUDENT
OUTCOMES YOU CAN BRING INTO PRACTICE IMMEDIATELY
More stability and connection throughout trauma sessions
Increased client capacity to tolerate activation
Clear decision-making about when and how to intervene
Confidence working with freeze, shutdown, and dissociation
Integration that supports long-term change beyond the room
Healing becomes not just possible, but trackable, structured, and supported by physiology.
JOIN US
Support trauma recovery by addressing what keeps clients stuck — with methods that are grounded, relational, and physiologically intelligent.
