Childhood trauma leaves survivors with a fundamental mistrust in the safety of relationships. As adults, they develop defenses against vulnerability, commitment, and emotion—either shutting down or getting stuck in mutually escalating conflicts with their partner. This workshop will demonstrate two very different styles of intervention with these clients. One will emphasize challenging the couple’s ability to be emotionally authentic; the other will focus on the importance of somatic communication in helping couples connect. You’ll discover how to: 

• Help partners identify the role of trauma in their troubled relationships 
• Challenge them to move beyond their stories and automatic responses 
• Use nonverbal communication to reduce conflict and connect safely 
• Evoke a couple’s inherent capacity for authentic emotional connection and expression 

Janina Fisher, PhD, is a senior faculty member of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute.