Complex Trauma, Dissociation & Flashbacks # 17-18 Nov 2026 # LIVE, Online, Interactive Workshop #Complex Trauma, Dissociation & Flashbacks: From Early Adversity to Adult Distress Building on the PTSD Master Class Workshop OverviewChildhood trauma leaves a profound imprint not only in memory but in the biology of the nervous system, brain and body. Complex trauma is not simply a psychological story to be told; it is a lived, somatic reality. It rewires stress responses, disrupts attachment systems, fragments sensory processing, and embeds patterns

Complex Trauma, Dissociation & Flashbacks:

From Early Adversity to Adult Distress

Building on the PTSD Master Class 

Workshop Overview
Childhood trauma leaves a profound imprint — not only in memory but in the biology of the nervous system, brain and body.
Complex trauma is not simply a psychological story to be told; it is a lived, somatic reality. It rewires stress responses, disrupts attachment systems, fragments sensory processing, and embeds patterns of disconnection and dysregulation deep within the body's physiology.

This 2-day CPD workshop offers a compassion-focused, neurobiologically grounded, and somatically attuned approach to understanding and treating the lasting impact of developmental trauma.

It goes beyond standard CBT models, offering a sophisticated integration of compassion-focused somatic therapy, attachment-based formulations, and current neuroscience to equip practitioners with actionable, real-world strategies for working with complex trauma in a safe and effective way. It is suggested that you attend the PTSD Master Class prior to attending this workshop.

Why Working Only with Trauma "Stories" Often Misses the Real Entry Point for Change
While trauma narratives have their place, true healing requires us to go deeper — to the biology of trauma:

• How trauma lives in the nervous system

• How it shapes the body's experience of threat, connection and regulation

• How it can quietly block healing, even when therapy is insightful

We Will Cover:

🔵 Neurobiology and Somatic Impact of Developmental Trauma

• How age of trauma, neglect vs abuse, and cumulative adversity affect development

• How developmental trauma shapes nervous system calibration

• The chemical cascades — cortisol, adrenaline, acetylcholine — that drive survival responses

• Hormonal and inflammatory biomarkers in complex trauma

🔵 Dissociation, Body-Based Symptoms and Clinical Complexity

• Dissociation as multiple phenomena — depersonalisation, derealisation, memory fragmentation

• Pseudo-hallucinations, perceptual distortions, medically unexplained symptoms

• The difference between Freeze response and Tonic Immobility — and why it matters

• How trauma traps the body in survival patterns and how to intervene somatically

🔵 Attachment, Trust and the Social Engagement System

• How early relational trauma affects trust, shame, and connection

• How to work when a client’s social engagement system "goes offline"

• How interpersonal neurobiology helps map client stuckness and relational reactivity

🔵 Live Observational Skills and Real-Time Clinical Decision Making

• Live clinical skills practice with a professional actor portraying "Rachel" — a trauma-exposed client

• Observe relational interventions for dissociation, overwhelming affect, and shame in real time

• Discussion of therapy pitfalls, stuck points, and the need for difficult clinical decisions

🔵 Strategies for Trauma-Sensitive, Body-Aware Practice

• Breathwork, posture, and vision-focused interventions to regulate dissociation and affect

• Building resilience and activating client resources safely

• Safe and effective use of narrative exposure for complex trauma

• Integrating body-focused interventions into trauma-focused therapy sessions

Format
✔️ 13-hour CPD, recognised training
✔️ Online interactive workshop — applicable to both face-to-face and online therapy work
✔️ Case-based learning and live observational demonstrations
✔️ Grounded in relational CBT but extends beyond it with a somatic, neurobiological, and attachment-integrated focus
✔️ Evidence-based, research-informed, immediately practical clinical skills

Who Should Attend?
Psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists, and mental health professionals working with trauma-exposed clients in clinical practice.
Participants are expected to have prior training in PTSD or trauma-focused work before attending.

🧠 If you are ready to deepen your skills beyond traditional approaches — and understand trauma as it lives in the body and the brain — we invite you to join us.

'Live Observation’ of the therapy process as it unfolds