SOMATIC EMDR THERAPY CERTIFICATE
“Thriving is our birthright. Healing individual and collective trauma is the deepest embodiment of this truth.”
— DR. SCOTT LYONS
PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE
Are you looking for a way to help your clients heal from trauma more effectively and holistically? Do you want to learn how to integrate EMDR therapy and somatic psychology in your trauma treatment practice? Or daily life as a way to process stress, release what's holding you back, and expand your resilience?
This program is designed for individuals, practitioners and educators who want to discover the power of a unified somatic approach to EMDR therapy to address and repair the psychological and physiological effects of trauma. When brought together these two cutting-edge modalities help process traumatic memories and reduce emotional distress, while reconnecting with the body and restoring a sense of safety and agency. In fact, according to Trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk, Somatic Therapy and EMDR Therapy are considered the best approaches for the treatment of trauma.
In this unique online certificate program, you will learn how to combine these approaches using evidence-based techniques and strategies and discover the latest research and interventions to enhance embodiment and healing in yourself and your clients. You will also benefit from interactive learning, practical exercises, and peer support.
This is more than an EMDR training! Taught by world-leading faculty, this program will equip you with the skills and confidence to offer your clients a comprehensive and unified approach to Somatic EMDR including body-based interventions that can radically improve the effectiveness of EMDR Therapy, which translates into a significant experience of well-being.
Join us and discover the power of a unified somatic approach to EMDR therapy to heal trauma and restore agency for yourself and your clients. Register now and get ready to transform your practice and your clients' lives.
MEET THE 2024 INSTRUCTORS
Internationally recognized leaders bring to life a holistic and unified somatic EMDR therapy curriculum.
DR. BESSEL VAN DER KOLK
DR. ARIELLE SCHWARTZ
KAREE POWERS
DR. SCOTT LYONS
CRAIG PENNER
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR THE 2025 PROGRAM
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ABOUT THE PROGRAM
This unique 3-month online certificate program is designed for individuals, practitioners and educators wanting to explore a unified somatic approach to EMDR therapy to address and repair the psychological and physiological effects of trauma. When brought together these two cutting-edge modalities help process traumatic memories and reduce emotional distress, while reconnecting with the body and restoring a sense of safety and agency.
Bringing together world-renowned Somatic EMDR Therapy teachers into one program, this extraordinary program offers a collection of practical tools, embodied theory, and protocols that will inspire and empower you, while guiding you through this effective and powerful healing process for yourself and your work with others
What is somatics?
‘Soma’ is a Greek word for ‘the living body known from within’, or known to the Self. This ‘knowing’ signifies wholeness. Somatic therapy is an experiential approach towards mindbody integration. The pain, overwhelm, and coping responses manifested by trauma take us away from feeling at home in our body, and as a result there is often a split within ourselves.
Somatic Therapy helps:
Restore the body as a place of safety while helping to expand the capacity to process body (preverbal and nonverbal) memory
Metabolize unprocessed emotions
Complete thwarted (incomplete) stress responses
Restore our optimal relationship to our self and the world around us
Somatic trauma therapy offers techniques for clients to sense and regulate their own physiology and states of being. This includes building more internal and external resources, building trusting and co-regulatory relationships, learning to turn inward with compassion, being invited deeper in the body, and given time and space to process the trauma. These somatic techniques unwind trauma and restore well-being.
What is Somatic EMDR?
“The synthesis of somatic psychology and EMDR Therapy is an exciting advancement in mental health. As stand-alone therapies these are now considered to be two of the best trauma treatment models available. Integrating these therapies enhances the effectiveness of both.”
— Dr. Arielle Schwartz
According to Trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk, Somatic Therapy and EMDR Therapy are considered the best approaches for the treatment of trauma.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is a comprehensive approach to therapy that integrates elements of psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies to maximize treatment effects. EMDR Therapy uses a structured protocol for the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related past experiences that trigger emotions, beliefs, sensations.
Somatic Psychology offers key concepts and interventions that are necessary for a unified Somatic approach to EMDR. Somatic Interventions such as tracking sensations, deepening awareness, boundary awareness, and self-regulation complement and increase the efficacy of EMDR Therapy and collectively these therapeutic modalities offer a profound healing tool for anyone facing the pain of PTSD.
Somatic EMDR can help your client identify the root of their pain and what’s holding them back, change the negative thoughts cluttering their mind, restore their sense of safety and vitality, process traumatic memories and reduce emotional distress…. all the while helping them to reconnect with their body, and restore safety and agency.
This is a profound healing tool for anyone facing the pain of trauma.
Research also shows Somatic EMDR can decrease chronic pain, improve relaxation, and enhance well-being and self-esteem. And best of all Somatic EMDR is known to get results, fast. While everyone's journey is different, 80% to 90% of people report positive results within their first three sessions.
In this program we’ll explore key interventions and tools of Somatic Psychology to enhance the effectiveness of EMDR. These include:
Grounding: Grounding refers to our ability to experience ourselves as embodied. Traumatic events are by nature overwhelming and to incorporate these painful experiences our mind often replays the event again and again. As a result, we develop a host of avoidance strategies so we do not have to experience the pain. We cut off awareness of sensations; we go numb. Grounding involves sensing the body, feeling your feet on the earth, and calming the nervous system.
Cultivating Somatic Awareness: When a client retells the story about unresolved traumatic events, the somatic therapist promotes awareness of the body. Teaching clients how to develop and sustain somatic awareness is the first step in the integration of body-centered work into EMDR Therapy.
Resourcing: Resource development is a technique emphasized equally within both EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychotherapy. When we help clients develop resources we focus on increasing a sense of choice and safety.
Titration: When we turn our attention to traumatic events our body-centered awareness helps us become conscious of our physical tension patterns. Titration refers to a process of experiencing small amounts of distress at a time with a goal to discharge the tension. During EMDR Therapy, titration is also a key component of managing high levels of distress and reducing the likelihood of re-traumatization during the healing process.
Sequencing: When somatic tension begins to discharge or release, clients typically report the movement of emotion and sensations. Here, we invite the client to experience these sensations without inhibiting them and to simply observe them as they change. The tension eventually releases–sometimes in the form of tears, an ability to breathe more freely, or possibly the feeling of lightness.
Movement and Process: In EMDR Therapy, the Adaptive Information Processing model posits that when given an opportunity to process through a traumatic event clients have an inherent, natural healing process.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (i.e eye movement, tapping, etc.) to attend to and deesclate the reactivity to past memories, present triggers, or anticipated future experiences. Somatic EMDR also utilizes movement techniques to help complete unprocessed nervous system impulses and frozen emotions that have been previously stuck in the body.
A unified Somatic approach to EMDR allows us to tap into our innate healing capacity by inviting us to listen to the story as told by the body, whilst working with a comprehensive, structured approach to healing and processing traumatic memories and their associated beliefs, emotions, and sensations. This also includes completing unprocessed nervous system impulses through movement.
Join us and discover the power of a unified somatic approach to EMDR therapy to heal trauma and restore agency for yourself and your clients. Register now and get ready to transform your practice and your clients' lives.
WHAT IS TRAUMA
A holistic approach to trauma defines trauma not as an event, but rather as a disruption and overwhelm to our body-mind’s capacity to adapt, thrive, and flourish.
Trauma can occur when:
- There is too much too soon
- There is too much for too long
- There is not enough for too long
- Power and agency have been taken away from the person or collective
- The stressors outweigh the resources available to navigate them
- When our primal protective instincts, intuitions, and responses are thwarted
- There is not enough time, space, or permission to heal
It is essential that we consider social, developmental, and cultural factors when reflecting on a client’s trauma history. By not acknowledging these contextual factors we do the individual a disservice.
The symptoms of trauma may occur immediately or emerge over time from the compounding stress and challenges of processing and adapting to the experiences of life. Symptoms of trauma emerge as the body and mind attempt to cope with and resolve the stressors.
Trauma can lead to feelings of powerlessness, helplessness, and groundlessness. It interferes with our ability to feel real in body and mind, it disrupts our very sense of existence, and takes us away from the present moment. However, as Dr. Peter Levine, creator of Somatic Experiencing says “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not have to be a life sentence.”
Symptoms are the gateway to healing trauma. Our job as practitioners and educators is to listen and hear the messages and wisdom encoded in the body.
Somatic Therapy helps:
• Restore the body as a place of safety while helping to expand the capacity to process body (preverbal and nonverbal) memory
• Metabolize unprocessed emotions
• Complete thwarted (incomplete) stress responses
• Restore our optimal relationship to our self and the world around us
Somatic trauma therapy offers techniques for clients to sense and regulate their own physiology and states of being. This includes building more internal and external resources, building trusting and co-regulatory relationships, learning to turn inward with compassion, being invited deeper in the body, and given time and space to process the trauma. These somatic techniques unwind trauma and restore well being.
“Healing is never complete until we have been truly heard. May the universe send you someone who will sincerely care to listen.”
- ANTHON ST. MAARTEN
“Healing is like an onion. As you process through one layer of trauma to release the pain and heal, a new layer will surface. One layer after another layer will bring up new issues to focus on. Pace yourself. Only focus on one layer at a time.”
- DANA ARCURI
“The body stores the trauma of our lives in muscular rigidity, thereby keeping us stuck in the past. When we release the tension in the body and align ourselves with gravity, we take a new stand in life. This allows us to be at ease with ourselves and in harmony in our relationship to others and to our planet.”
- JOSEPH HELLER
“Sometimes the people around you won't understand your journey. They don't need to, it's not for them.”
- JOUBERT BOTHA
2024 PROGRAM CURRICULUM
This 60 hour certificate program included 17 two-hour sessions and 4 six-hour sessions offered over 9 weeks from February 11th to April 13th, 2024. Classes were on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays plus optional Community Connections.
WEEK 1 - Orientation to EMDR and Somatics - Somatic Nervous System Techniques & Dialogue Skills
Orientation to EMDR and Somatics
Building a Felt Sense, Developing Tracking Skills, and Window of Tolerance
Resourcing the Nervous System with Polyvagal Theory
Somatic Dialogue Skills
WEEK 2 - Core Principles Of Process Oriented Work - Somatic EMDR Preparation and Protocols
Core Principles of Process Oriented Work - Part 1
Core Principles of Process Oriented Work - Part 2
Basic EMDR Protocol - Part 1
Basic EMDR Protocol - Part 2
WEEK 3 - Psychobiological Regulation and Bilateral Stimulation
Fawning and Appeasement in Trauma Recovery
Bi-lateral Stimulation - What Does It Do and Why Do We Use It?
WEEK 4 - Integrating Somatic Movement into Bilateral Stimulation
Developmental Movement and Alternatives for Bilateral Stimulation
Supporting Brain Integration through EMDR, Somatic Movement, & Yogic Based Techniques
WEEK 5 - Somatic EMDR Steps and Practice Sessions
Somatic EMDR Steps and Practice Sessions - Part 1
Somatic EMDR Steps and Practice Sessions - Part 2
EMDR and Parts Work for CPTSD & Dissociation - Part 1
EMDR and Parts Work for CPTSD & Dissociation - Part 2
WEEK 6 - Movement and Mobilization
Movement Processing - Part 1
Movement Processing - Part 2
WEEK 7 - EMDR Self Practice and in Groups
EMDR and Groups
EMDR for Working on Yourself
WEEK 8 - Somatic EMDR and Cultural / Intergenerational Trauma
Cultural and Intergenerational Trauma EMDR
WEEK 9 - Refining a Somatic EMDR Session and Integration
Arc of a Session - Part 1
Arc of a Session - Part 2
All Faculty Practicum
All Faculty Practicum
WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR?
• 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 & Body Workers
• Acupuncturists
• Hypnotherapists
• Kinesiologists
• Complementary & Alternative Medicine Professionals
• Clergy & Religious Leaders
• Other Wellness Professionals
This program is suitable for both experienced EMDR practitioners and those new to the modality alike. This program is an education program and not a licenser program.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Foundations of EMDR
Utilize the 8 phases of EMDR Therapy as an evidence-based approach to trauma treatment.
Understand the therapist’s role in an EMDR session.
Understand how to assess for EMDR treatment appropriateness.
Address the strengths and limitations of the EMDR standard protocol.
Understand how to approach the EMDR framework with flexibility.
Understand how to respond to blocks in EMDR processing.
Safety and Special Considerations
Understand 7 elements to enhance safety within the EMDR process.
Describe why the basic EMDR protocol may need to be modified for individuals with dissociative symptoms or CPTSD.
Explain the value of how relational-cultural and parts work therapy interweaves in EMDR Therapy to help reduce the intensity and frequency of dissociative symptoms in individuals with C-PTSD.
Understand the importance of creating communal safe spaces for individuals with complex trauma and from marginalized communities throughout the EMDR process.
Understand ways to enhance connection and ventral activation within a group setting.
Somatic Focus and Interventions
Understand how a somatic focus is foundational for effective therapy.
Describe advantages of tracking clients’ activation somatically before and during EMDR processing.
Recognize how polyvagal theory provides an essential foundation of understanding arousal states as related to trauma reprocessing.
Help clients connect with their own physical felt sense.
Describe 5 ways practitioners can guide sessions to be more somatically-based.
Identify at least 2 Somatic Psychology interventions that can be utilized with EMDR Therapy’s preparation phase to help build affect or sensation tolerance and readiness for traumatic memory reprocessing.
Recount at least five somatic interventions that can be used for stuck processing during the Desensitization Phase.
Recognize signs of nervous system hyper-arousal and hypo-arousal and demonstrate interventions for working with these moments.
Identify somatic signs of “subtle dissociation”.
Describe somatic signs of struggle and disconnection.
Describe ways to assess resilience somatically.
PROGRAM INTENTIONS
To inspire and prepare participants for practice and integration of somatic trauma treatment tools.
To foster a deep understanding of both somatics and trauma from psychological, social, environmental, cultural, and historic perspectives
Explore the foundations of somatics, while providing a breadth of tools offered by various somatic therapy practices in relation to working with trauma. This will be done by highlighting the main practices in each modality as well as examining the intersection points between somatic trauma modalities.
Integrating an understanding and treatment of trauma on the individual and the collective levels.
Create opportunities for participants to connect as a community and connect via shared interest of applications.
Sessions will include at least two practical skills that can be applied to integrate the educational material.
2024 PROGRAM DETAILS
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
The program ran live from February 11th to April 13th, 2024. A detailed schedule was provided when registering. All live sessions were recorded so students could watch in their own time:
STUDENT ORIENTATION: Sunday, February 11th, 2024 from 11am - 12:30pm PT / 2 - 3:30pm ET
WEEKLY CLASSES: February 12th through April 13th, 2024. All weekly classes were on:
— Mondays from 4 - 6pm PT / 7 - 9pm ETBecause of the complexities with international time zones, we have only listed Pacific Time (PT) and Eastern Time (ET) above. [Please check how this translates into your local Time Zone here.][1]
— Wednesdays from 12 - 2pm PT / 3 - 5pm ET
— Saturdays from 7 - 10am PT and 11am - 2pm PT / 10am - 1pm ET and 2 - 5pm ET
COMMUNITY SESSIONS: Two types of community connections were offered:
• After each session - Option to stay 30 minutes after the class ends to connect with students and discuss the class in small breakout rooms. Breakout rooms will include: BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, General / All Students and others.
• 2 Community Connections with Faculty.
HOMEWORK
There were no homework assignments during the program. Please see Certificate of Completion below for more information.
LEARNING PLATFORM FORMAT
ZOOM: The live portion of the certificate program was 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 hosted all the information about the course including:
• Detailed schedule and reminder emails of upcoming sessions
• How to access via Zoom
• Monday recordings will be made available 24 hours before Wednesday's session. All other recordings will be available within 48 hours of the end of the live event.
• 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 have lifetime access to the content.
LIVE CAPTIONING / TRANSCRIPTS: Captioning during live sessions and transcripts offered in English.
READING LISTS: Each instructor provided required or recommended readings.
• Required readings were available freely online or in PDF format.
• Recommended readings were optional and for futher exploration. They may include books, online articles etc.
• PDFs of the instructor’s presentation were also be provided.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Below were the requirements to receive the Certificate of Completion:
• Attend the live sessions or watch the recordings
• Complete the Self Evaluation
REGISTRATION / ENROLLMENT / TUITION
Students enrolled for the certificate program by choosing one of the two payment options— full payment, or a two-month payment plan. A scaled pricing structure starting from $987 for the Supported Plan to $1487 for the Rebalancing Plan was offered.
2024 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 February 11th to April 13th, 2024. The program will include 17 two-hour sessions and 4 six-hour sessions offered over 9 weeks. Classes are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, plus optional Community Connection sessions. A detailed schedule will be provided when registering.
**STUDENT ORIENTATION **
Sunday, February 11th, 2024 from 2 - 3:30pm ET
WEEKLY CLASSES
February 12th through April 13th, 2024
- Mondays from 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesdays from 3 - 5pm ET
- Saturdays from 10am - 1pm ET and 2 - 5pm ET
2 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
- Friday, March 8th, 2024 from 12:30 - 2pm ET
- Tuesday, March 19th, 2024 from 12:30 - 2pm ET
+ Will there be an orientation session?
Yes, there will be an orientation session on Sunday, February 11th, 2024 from 2 - 3:30pm ET.
+ Do I need to attend live or am I able to watch recordings?
All live sessions will also be recorded and students may watch in their own time (more information below). Please note, captioning is only available during 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 connections will also be offered with the faculty. A private online community forum will be provided for the certificate.
+ What are the homework requirements?
There are no homework assignments during the program.
+ 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:
- The deadline for scholarship applications has now passed.
- For those who submitted by the due date, scholarships will be communicated by end of day (11:59pm PT) on Monday, January 29, 2024
+ Is there a deadline for registration?
Registration is open until the day before the student orientation. Please enroll by February 10th, 2024.
+ 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.
+ 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 during live sessions and 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?
All students who complete the requirements below will receive a Certificate of Completion for the SOMATIC EMDR THERAPY program from The Embody Lab. The requirements to receive the Certificate are:
- Attend the live sessions or watch the recordings.
- Complete the Self Evaluation after each module.
- Complete 10 sessions (45 mins or longer) outside of class times. A session is considered a practice together with the application of the tools learned.
- Dates to complete by July 13th, 2024 (3 months after the last live session).
+ After completing the EMDR certificate program, what title am I allowed to use?
Licensed therapists or health professionals (e.g., social workers, psychologists, clinical therapists, registered nurses) may use the title "Somatic EMDR Practitioner".
Non-licensed individuals may say:
"I integrate somatic EMDR interventions into my practice."
+ Will Continuing Education Units (CEUs) be offered?
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
More information will be provided on the number of CEs available for this program and how to register. 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 co-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 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 this document for 4 years after the course concludes.
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.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
SOMATICS WERE MISSING
WHAT IS SOMATIC EMDR?
WHO CAN JOIN THE PROGRAM?
I’M A COACH. IS THIS PROGRAM FOR ME?
WILL I REPEAT WHAT I ALREADY KNOW IF I’VE ALREADY COMPLETED EMDR TRAINING?
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR THE 2025 PROGRAM
& IMMEDIATELY GET THE INFORMATION SESSION
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