HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
DEPARTMENT OF CONTINUING EDUCATION

PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA Maturational Processes and Therapeutic Interventions March 21-22, 1997 Course Directors Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D. Lawrence E. Lifson, M.D.

at
The Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston

Offered by
Massachusetts Mental Health Center
Department of Continuing Education

Pre-Conference Institutes March 20, 1997 Institute Directors Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D., Daniel Brown, Ph.D

Institute Workshop I: Psychomotor Therapy
Albert Pesso and Diane Boyden Pesso

Many therapists dealing with traumatized individuals have been struck by the degree to which the memories of trauma seem to be experienced as bodily states and sensations that may have little or no verbal representation. Many traumatized individuals have found that a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques which incorporate work with bodily states can be quite helpful, both in the stabilization of symptoms and the working through of traumatic experiences. Using techniques that resemble those of former Harvard Medical School Professor Psychiatry, Elvin Semrad, M.D., Al Pesso and Diane Boyden have developed a body/mind therapy system that consists of body-desensitization techniques and "micro-tracking" of bodily movements and sensations that are thought to reflect ongoing cognitive and affective processes. Using touch and action in controlled role-play may allow patients to re-work and control their bodily reactions and behaviors. This is an experiential workshop that demonstrates the techniques of "micro-tracking" and the live demonstration of individual therapy using group members for participant controlled role-play.

Institute Workshop II * Understanding Trauma and Memory in Clinical and Forensic Settings
Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D., Daniel Brown, Ph.D., Glenn Saxe, M.D., Rose Zolteck-Jick, J.D.

This workshop will review research on the differences between recollection of ordinary and traumatic events and apply this understanding to traumatized children and adults in clinical and forensic settings. The available epidemiological, psychological, and biological research of traumatic memories, amnesia, suggestibility, and memory distortion will be reviewed. Particular attention will be paid to the central role of dissociative processes in PTSD, which affect how memories are organized at different stages of development. This workshop will review the psychobiology of memory and recent brain imaging studies that may clarify how the central nervous system organizes traumatic memories.

The objectives of these institutes are to explore recent advances in psychotherapeutic techniques for the treatment of traumatized patients; to review the research on how trauma affects memory and explore the differences between recollections of ordinary and traumatic events

For a complete registration form, write to:
Harvard MED-CME, P.O. Box 825, Boston, MA 02117-0825

For On-line Information: http://www.med.harvard.edu/conted/

Inquiries by Phone: (617) 432-1525, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

e-mail: hms-cme@warren.med.harvard.edu