How to treat disturbed dreaming
In this workshop, Leslie will briefly describe polyvagal theory and then present details about its application to nightmares and their treatment. This application takes the differing responses to traumatic experience into account. For example, PTSD (or post-traumatic stress injury, a preferred, non-pathologizing term) can be characterized by activation or immobilization of the autonomic nervous system, or sometimes both. Leslie will explain how treatment may differ depending on how the client’s body and their dreams are responding to their traumatic experiences. She will also note the special considerations to take into account for treatment of longer-term complex trauma cases. Composite clinical examples will be presented to ground theory in practice.
For the experiential part of this presentation, Leslie will present a short version of her Nightmare Relief protocol – which can be used with any dream, though it is designed specifically for nightmares. She will describe how to use this shortened version with any dream and participants will be invited to try this version in dyads or small groups. There will be time at the end for debrief and questions.
Learning objectives
After taking this workshop, participants will be able to:
Describe the basic terminology and tenets of the polyvagal theory.
Describe the steps of the Nightmare Relief protocol, in particular the processes intended to instil a ‘neuroception’ of safety, and their rationale.
Explain why an embodied sense of safety is critical for the treatment of nightmares and of the effects of trauma in general.
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Audio Recording
advance copy of the academic article/case study
Slide Presentation
Webinar Notes
