 By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP
Welcome to a phrase that I've just coined -- body-informed care. The words "trauma-Informed" have become a well-used phrase when discussing the care and treatment of survivors of trauma in the the fields of health and wellness. However, I've come to believe that if we are to be trauma-informed, we must become body-informed as well. Attention to the physical body is crucial in trauma treatment. Although we would like to think otherwise, trauma is not solely a psychological experience that affects the thinking brain. The fact is that traumatic experiences can leave a lasting impact on the body, leading to physical sensations, tension, and dysregulation, and sometimes illness and worse. By focusing on the body, trauma treatment can address the somatic aspects of trauma and promote truly holistic healing. The practitioner is charged with rewriting the nervous system into a new pattern of safety. This challenge means that practitioners must not only be trauma-informed but also body-informed. As we learn more about the neuroscience of co-regulation -- the idea that one person's nervous system impacts another's nervous system, the practitioner must be the "more regulated" one in the session and learn and practice how to stay in his, her or their own body so they can be present when they are working with a traumatized person. Here are some reasons why attention to the body is important in trauma treatment:
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By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP
I never met Dr. J.L. Moreno, the European-born physician who is widely celebrated as the man who revolutionized psychiatric treatment. A pioneer in improvisational theater and a social scientist fascinated with relationships in groups, he prodded us to accept a new and vigorous way to relate to our world with the method of dramatic play that he called psychodrama. However, I had the good fortune to study closely for several years with Zerka T. Moreno, Dr. Moreno’s third wife, who is now credited as the co-developer of psychodrama. Zerka is known not only for shaping psychodrama while J.L. was alive but also for refining and polishing the method after his death in 1974 through her teaching, writing and traveling. And I have had the lovely opportunity to befriend Dr. Moreno’s daughter, Regina Moreno, who has asked me to assist with the writing of her book Words of the Daughter: A Memoir, where she warmly reveals more about the father of this method, the important contributions of her stepmother Zerka to this blended family away from the psychodrama stage, and especially her mother Florence’s hidden role in developing distinct psychodramatic and sociometric innovations of her own. Gina – as later called herself – died on June 19 in Berkeley, Calif., after a long and interesting life, a life mostly centered on psychodrama, relationships and adventure.  By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP
Experiential therapy — a broadly based description of therapeutic modalities that employ here-and-now experiences — are greatly effective when working with people in recovery. Within recent years, many treatment centers and other clinical programs are re-inventing and re-informing their programs to show recognition of the particular needs for special populations and introducing a number of holistic treatment components like yoga, meditation, Reiki, nature walks and the like. Many of the same professionals also are re-evaluating the need for experiential learning and broadening experiential programs with psychodrama, metaphor, ritual and ceremony, the creative arts and work with animals as defined by distinct clinical objectives.  By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP
We’re approaching income tax time, and we know what that means. It’s time to pull out our files, envelopes, receipts, bank papers and all sorts of other things as we review our income and our outflow. It’s easy to identify what is income (people pay for our services and goods) but sometimes more difficult to identify what are the business expenses that are deductible. Whatever is legally deductible will reduce your income tax payment. And, as a psychotherapist-educator who offers trainings for psychotherapists, educators and other helping and healing professionals, I’m here to tell you that--  This is the harvest time of year, the time of year when we talk about gratitude. Last year for my Thanksgiving column, I asked my good friend Alan Swanson to permit me to re-publish his wonderful essay about gratitude. This year, he's come up with a new essay looking at gratitude, joy and love with his Seed Point meditation. I share it here: By Alan Swanson
For many years now, I have been working with a process which I have come to call a Seed Point. As with an actual seed, there is growth involved. With proper nourishment, the seed works with creation to manifest its specific nature into the world. This particular Seed Point is something different, for it works in the realm of what we term the future. It involves working with an experience we are having in the present moment, and projecting the completed process into the future. This, in order to create the most beneficial result possible.  Marcia Karp, a wise elder in the world of psychodrama, is our guest blog author today. A wonderful story teller -- and my valued teacher at the Holwell International Center for Psychodrama and Sociodrama in Devon, England, in 1994 -- Marcia shares a wonderful story about Dr. J.L. Moreno and the spread of psychodrama around the world. By Marcia Karp, M.A., TEP
It is 1968 in Vienna, Austria. I am sitting next to Dr. J.L. Moreno in front of an empty cinema screen. We are attending a conference of the International Council of Group Psychotherapy Conference, an organization created by Dr. Moreno in 1951. This was before the founding of the International Association of Group Psychotherapy in 1973. We were asked to attend a film by a Japanese colleague who had taken some training in psychodrama at the Moreno Academy in Beacon, N.Y. The conference room went dark. On the screen, in black and white, came a filmed sequence showing a handbag counter in a department store. The camera slowly panned the handbag section and then went up an escalator and into a ladies dress section showing a rack of women's clothes.  By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP Ann Hale, who would have celebrated her 80th birthday today, truly was the “mistress” of sociometry” within the world psychodrama community. I always appreciated her presence and contributions to our American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama conferences, including workshops, plenaries and keynotes, especially the still-memorable “Stone To Roll” where she used Jo Salas’ song “Little Stone to Roll” to support sociometric connections in the introductory large session. With the song’s the catchy words and inviting music, she created a sweet and amazing warm up that beautifully encouraged all of us to meet, greet and connect. By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP
Just few weeks ago, I moved out of my lovely practice space at Liberty Place in Lancaster, Pa. With the pandemic still causing a great deal of uncertainty, it hasn’t been practical for me to rent a full-time dedicated space right now. But whatever the logical reasons, I still wanted to say goodbye – a good goodbye. Good goodbyes are important. I learned this fact many years ago, when I worked as a psychotherapist for a well-known intensive five-day program for adults who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise chaotic homes. It was my first job as a helping professional and my first experience in this kind of program, which bonded small groups of people very quickly as we worked all day, every day, proceeding with heart-changing transformational work. And then the goodbye.
By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP
Professional conferences offer opportunities to connect with colleagues, learn what’s new in the field and inspire participants to move forward with fresh ideas when returning to our daily schedule and calendars of the work week. During the 80th annual conference of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama, which ended Sunday, April 3, all that happened — and more. I've already blogged about my 10 takeaways from the 80th annual psychodrama conference, gathering the rich and sparkling gems that I found on the adventure of the conference. Even with the online version of the conference -- absent of hugs in hallways, shared meals in present time and the modifications of the tried and true psychodramatic techniques -- we still managed to learn, to teach, have fun and feel connected. You can read my blog article about all of that on Medium here. And there's more...  By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP
Just the other day, I had a session with a supervisee who wanted to explore if she should get her clinical social work license or pursue certification in a particular bodywork modality that she had started to study. Another supervisee was looking at choices in trauma-informed certification and was seeking feedback about what choice might enhance the credentials he had already earned. A third wondered if she needed to be certified at all. One of the most frequently asked questions that I get as a supervisor and trainer is about certification, whether relating to psychodrama or other fields and disciplines. |
AuthorKaren Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP, is an author, trainer and psychotherapist who promotes, practices and teaches experiential methods including psychodrama, Family and Systemic Constellations, sand tray, mindfulness and Tarot imagery. Archives
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