Somatic Tools for Healing Trauma and Reclaiming Your Voice

7-Hour Online Workshop | 6 APA/BBS CEs Available

Six 6 APA/BBS CEs are available for an additional fee of $30. After you register for the workshop, your confirmation email from Eventbrite will contain a link to the site where you can purchase the APA/BBS CEs from our co-sponsor, Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA). APA/BBS CEs may be purchased at any time before the workshop, but only those who have purchased in advance will receive the credits. See below for details.

Join trauma therapist Linda Thai for a dynamic interactive workshop exploring the neuroscience of trauma and the voice or verbal sound as the first portal to attachment and attunement.   

Having a voice and accessing verbal sound are fundamental parts of being human, allowing us to connect to others in healthy ways: to communicate our needs and desires; to speak up when expectations have not been met or when boundaries are over-stepped; and to connect and to share our innermost worlds.  

Because silence can feel like safety, it can feel dangerous and activating for the nervous system when we begin the journey of exploring and reclaiming our voices, needs, and boundaries. When we stifle the voice or any sound, speaking can be painful. Paradoxically—and understandably—many of us leave our bodies when we speak or develop a part of self that takes on the role of speaking. Alternatively, for some of us, there was no one there to listen to us, in joy, in sadness, or in fear so now we live and express ourselves as if in a vacuum. 

Healing involves reconnecting to one’s capacity for vocalization in an embodied way. Through lecture and experiential exercises, using Polyvagal theory and Reichian-based somatic approaches, Linda provides an understanding of emotional anatomy—how our experiences shape our neuro-muscular system and therefore our voices. She guides participants through various somatic cues to develop a relationship with one’s voice and deconstruct unhelpful narratives about it. Participants playfully engage with embodied whole-body vocal warm-ups to prepare for vocal curiosity. Learn Barbara McAfee’s Five Elements of Vocal Expression framework for exploring earth, fire, water, metal, and air voices, and fostering the transformative potential of reclaiming one's voice. 

This workshop is intended for anyone who struggles with and is seeking to reclaim their physical and metaphorical voice, particularly femme folks, individuals in a body racialized by society, disabled bodies, neurodivergent bodies, and individuals who were traumatized as children. It is also appropriate for those supporting clients in healing work.  

Linda invites you to discover tools for authentic expression and the communication of your needs and boundaries. 

Teachings are appropriate for healthcare professionals as well as the general public. Healthcare professionals will be able to incorporate the tools and practices offered in this program in ways beneficial to clients or patients.
 

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Linda Thai LMSW ERYT-200 (she/her) is a trauma therapist who specializes in cutting edge brain and body-based modalities for the healing of complex developmental trauma.  

As an educator and consultant, she is gifted with the capacity to contextualize, synthesize and communicate complex and nuanced issues pertaining to trauma, attachment, the body and the nervous system, including the impact of oppressive systems upon identity, mental health and wellbeing.  

Her dynamic workshops are infused with empathy, storytelling, humor, research, practical tools, applied knowledge, and experiential wisdom. 

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CE Information

Teachings are appropriate for healthcare professionals as well as the general public. Healthcare professionals will be able to incorporate the tools and practices offered in this program in ways beneficial to clients or patients.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Create a relationship with our voice and deconstruct the narrative that we have developed about our voice to encompass an appreciation for how our voices adapted in order to ensure survival.  
2. Explain the neuroscience of trauma and the voice.  
3. Use, playfully, embodied whole-body vocal warm-ups to prepare for vocal curiosity.  
4. Analyze, theoretically and experientially, the mechanics of the voice and sound-making.  
5. Using Polyvagal theory and Reichian-based somatic approaches to develop an understanding of emotional anatomy of how our experiences shape our neuro-muscular system and therefore our voices.  
6. Critique the peer-reviewed research about the relationship between disrupted attachment, trauma and the voice.  
7. Discuss Barbara McAfee’s Five Elements of Vocal Expression framework for exploring earth, fire, water, metal and air voices, and thereby foster the transformative potential of reclaiming one's voice.  
8. Explain in utero development as it pertains to sound as the first portal to attachment and attunement.  
9. Discuss how in utero and early postpartum experiences can re-shape the neuromuscular system and to engage with receptivity in receiving soothing songs and vocalizations as a portal to attachment and, therefore, to embodiment.  

Information on Continuing Education Credit for Health Professionals

• CEs 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 CEs for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by approved sponsors of Continuing Education by the American Psychological Association.
• LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFTs, and other mental health professionals from states other than California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of Continuing Education 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.
• For questions about completing the CE evaluation materials for this course, as well as receiving your Certificate of Attendance, contact CIIS Public Programs at publicprograms@ciis.edu. For other questions about CEs, visit www.spiritualcompetency.com or contact Spiritual Competency Academy at info@spiritualcompetencyacademy.com.
• CEs are only available for participants who attend the live workshop in-person or on Zoom. CEs cannot be issued to participants who view a recording of a workshop.

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Accessibility

If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email publicprograms@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the event. For more information, explore our Accessibility web page.

Recording Policy

Portions of this workshop will be recorded, and limited access to a recording will be made available to those who attend the live event. CEs are only available for participants who attend the live workshop in-person or on Zoom. CEs cannot be issued to participants who view a recording of a workshop.

Refund Policy

Tickets are fully refundable up to 7 days prior to the event start. Within 7 days of the event, a 50% refund is available. No refunds are available within 24 hours of the event start. Read our full refund policy.