About the webinar
A lack of choice is one of the defining elements of a traumatic event, often leaving individuals feeling powerless and disconnected from their own sense of agency. This webinar explores how Neuroception, a concept introduced by Stephen Porges, shapes our unconscious assessment of safety and threat, profoundly influencing the therapeutic process. By understanding and supporting the nervous system’s ability to detect safety, clinicians can help clients regain access to choice, enabling them to respond rather than react, and to engage in effective, intentional action. This shift—from discomfort, hypervigilance, or immobilization toward safety, presence, and comfort—aligns with principles highlighted by Emerson and van der Kolk. Restoring choice is not just a cognitive or behavioral intervention; it is a fundamental step in helping clients reclaim their inner authority and sense of self. For those who have experienced complex trauma, facilitating this reconnection with agency can be deeply healing and transformative.
No intervention that takes power away from the survivor can possibly foster her recovery, no matter how much it appears to be in her immediate best interest” (Herman, 1992)
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the concept of Neuroception and its role in detecting safety and threat within the nervous system.
- Identify ways in which loss of choice and agency manifests in clients who have experienced trauma.
- Apply strategies to support clients in regaining access to choice, promoting intentional and regulated responses.
- Integrate nervous-system-informed interventions that help clients move from hypervigilance, immobilization, or dysregulation toward safety and presence.
- Facilitate therapeutic approaches that honor client autonomy and restore a sense of inner authority and self-efficacy.
Agenda:
Lecture & Discussion (60 min) – Learn how Neuroception shapes trauma responses and discover practical strategies to help clients regain choice, move toward presence, and reclaim their sense of agency.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Learning Objectives
Participants will gain a clear understanding of Stephen Porges’ concept of Neuroception and how unconscious assessments of safety and threat influence trauma responses. They will explore how these mechanisms shape the nervous system’s reactivity and the client’s experience of choice during therapy.
Participants will learn to recognize how a lack of choice impacts individuals during and after trauma. They will explore strategies to restore client agency and promote intentional, empowered decision-making in therapeutic settings.
Participants will acquire practical tools to help clients regulate their nervous system and enhance their capacity to detect safety. This includes interventions that reduce hypervigilance, immobilization, or distress responses, fostering a state conducive to healing.
Participants will learn methods to guide clients from reactive or automatic responses toward mindful, intentional action. Emphasis will be placed on helping clients engage fully in the present moment and experience increased comfort and control.
Participants will understand how restoring choice contributes to a client’s sense of autonomy, self-efficacy, and inner authority. They will explore ways to support clients in reconnecting with their authentic self, particularly for those recovering from complex trauma.
