Author: sgiacomucci (Page 5 of 7)

Today’s workshop, The Social Self in Experiential Therapy: Relationships, Attachment, & Interpersonal Neurobiology, presented the interpersonal theory and social atom of Jacob Moreno.

We explored the integrations of attachment theory, sociometric theory, and interpersonal neurobiology as they relate to experiential trauma therapy.

Moreno’s developmental phases (doubling, mirroring, & role reversal) were explored from the position of attachment within multiple parallel processes including the infant-caregiver dyad, the client-therapist dyad, the victim-perpetrator dyad (in our case today, a spontaneous sociodramatic vignette about slavery and white supremacy), within the development of a psychodrama vignette, and the layered interpersonal experience of the group itself.

Attachment styles were presented with emphasis on their role-reciprocity and role-complimentary natures. Participants explored their own attachment styles and considered its impact on their clients, supervisees, and colleagues.

Participants created social atoms and action sculpting was used to put one social atom into action integrating relational ideals into all our relations!

Today Dr Scott Giacomucci facilitated a session for incoming doctoral students at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice.

The historical, philosophical, and theoretical connections of social work, Sociometry, and psychodrama were presented. Students then engaged in experiential Sociometry processes to explore shared experiences, fears, hopes, and goals.

The TSM circle of strengths was utilized to concretize the collective strengths of the cohort-as-a-whole and create a container of safety and inspiration for the years ahead as doctoral students.

Empty chairs were used to verbalize the positive & negative messages from the dissertation, the DSW degree, future self, and friends/family. Finally, students engaged in a psychodramatic vignette role reversing with themselves as future doctors of clinical social work.

#UPenn #SOCIALWORK #Psychodrama #sociometry #experientialteaching #experientialtherapy #emptychair

Giacomucci, S. (2019). Psychodramatically Becoming Your “Future Doctor Self”: A DSW First Year Immersion Session. The Clinician, 7(1): 6-7. Access Article Here

Related article here:
Giacomucci, S. (2019). Moreno’s Methods in Academia (or the lack of): A Call to Action. Psychodrama Network News. Fall 2019, p. 20. American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama.

Phoenix Center’s Director, Dr Scott Giacomucci, gave a plenary presentation as an honoree at the Global Conference on Addiction Medicine and Behavioral Health in London this morning.

This presentation focused on the cyclical relationship between addiction & trauma and the experiential therapies as a holistic approach to treatment.

The neuroscience evidence is pretty clear. Children who are nurtured, have secure attachment figures, a safe environment, and access to the creative arts develop the capacity for self-regulation, self-soothing, and secure adult relationships.

Adverse childhood experiences often have a lasting impact on one’s development.

Those most likely to thrive are the children who were nurtured.

There also exists a corrective and restorative potential in positive relationships or experiences today. These corrective emotional/relational experiences have the capacity to change and heal the trauma of the past.

This is one of the reasons why psychotherapy is effective – it provides an experience of a safe, secure, nurturing relationship.

Post-Traumatic Stress is simply the past emerging in the present.

Feelings, images, physical sensations, and thoughts from the time of the trauma resurface in the present moment when we are faced with a reminder of the event.

This is really just our bodies & psyches trying to protect us – but it causes lots of problems and impacts our functioning in the world.

Healing from trauma isn’t so much about telling the story of the past as it is about renegotiating how the experience lives with us today. Feelings need to be expressed, sensations experienced, beliefs revisited, and internalized roles transformed.

www.PhoenixTraumaCenter.com

#trauma #traumarecovery #traumatherapy #ptsd #ptsdtreatment #traumahealing #traumaticmemory #traumaticstress #besselvanderkolk

Working with addiction = working with trauma.

Treatment providers that don’t address the trauma underlying addictions are only controlling symptoms rather than dealing with the source of the problem.

Being “trauma-informed” is a good start, but not enough. The success rates of addiction treatment are horrendously poor compared to success rates of other conditions. In order to improve treatment quality, the addiction treatment field needs competently trained trauma treatment specialists.

Visit www.PhoenixTraumaCenter.com to learn more about our clinical work, training events, and consultation services for your agency.

#trauma #traumainformed #posttraumaticstress #stress #traumarecovery #traumahealing #addiction #addictiontrauma #addictiontreatment

Prolonged and extreme stress (including post-traumatic stress) significantly impacts brain development, especially for children.

The image below on the left shows a typical integrated/connected neuron from a child in a safe nurturing environment, next to an image of a neuron much less connected/integrated from a child who experienced prolonged stress. This type of stress creates fragmentation and dissociation biologically, psychologically, and socially.

Our environment impacts brain development in a very real and lasting way. Cultivating safety is an essential component of healing from post traumatic stress.

#trauma #neurobiology #safety #posttraumaticstress #stress #traumarecovery #traumahealing

We are proud to announce our recognition by the International Society of Experiential Professionals as an Experientially Certified Organization (ECO). We are one of the first organizations in the world to be awarded this credential!

Our commitment to providing experiential therapy services and experiential therapy education/training remains in the forefront of our vision as we expand and grow.

A new publication by Dr Scott Giacomucci – Trauma Survivor’s Inner Role Atom: A Clinical Map for Posttraumatic Growth

The Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy.

Abstract:

The treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and other trauma-related maladies requires psychotherapists to be equipped with a dependable clinical map that can guide them through the difficulties of trauma therapy. The Therapeutic Spiral Model—a clinically sophisticated and research-supported adaptation of classical psychodrama that has been used in over 30 countries—comes equipped with a comprehensive clinical map called the Trauma Survivor’s Inner Role Atom (TSIRA), which emphasizes safety, containment, and strengths. The Trauma Survivor’s Inner Role Atom provides a guide to intrapsychic structural change conceptualized in the simplicity of role theory while drawing from continued developments in neuroscience research. It offers a triune map beginning with prescriptive roles to build strengths, connection, accurate observation, containment, and safety. The trauma roles offered by the model’s intrapsychic trauma triangle are explored only after the prescriptive roles have been established, with the clinical functions of each demonstrated. And finally, the transformative roles—the internal manifestation of posttraumatic growth—emerge and are integrated as a completion of the clinical map’s three spirals. The implementation of this inner role atom as a clinical map prevents retraumatization while providing emotional regulation to protagonists and the group, keeping them within their window of tolerance.

https://asgppjournal.org/doi/abs/10.12926/18-00006.1

Trauma interrupts our natural rhythms (biologically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually). Our responses to trauma can create barriers to accessing our natural ability to heal.

The mission of the Phoenix Center revolves around helping individuals and groups access their autonomous healing centers and grow after trauma.