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Trauma healing in KZN, SA, with the Rural Women (ToWo)

SE is a psychotherapeutic body-oriented method which provides individuals, families, and communities with effective tools for healing trauma.

Trauma affects the social fabric of communities, cities, geographical regions, and nations. Working with SE one recognizes the relationship between unresolved trauma, violence and war and wants to help end this destructive cycle; A destructive cycle which is based in fear. The SE technique has been used with a wide range of traumatic events including man made and natural disasters, such as with the veterans of war in Iraq, or the Tsunami refugees, and in Israel with victims of terrorist attacks.

SE technique aids in transforming the state of an individual's personal self-perception and immediate experience, from one of helplessness and shame, to one of integrity, clarity, and courage.

This projects' goal is to build the capacity to work with trauma within the local communities. Pursuant to this end, we will offer a short first aid education program and clinical support focused on symptoms of acute and chronic posttraumatic stress disorder using Somatic Experiencing® as the primary method of clinical intervention. The education and processes are developed to be culturally-sensitive as well as effective.

The integration of the SE process into the Media camp and the documentation of the women life stories will support and allow the transformation of the belief in their capacity to assert themselves and to take part in the changing society.

The training process will be presented in Theory and in Action:

• The basic principles of Somatic Experiencing to the physiological basis of trauma.
• How the brain and body process extreme experiences.
• How unresolved experiences may keep us frozen and stuck in the past and learn how to release the imprint of trauma safely in the present without being overwhelmed.
• Understand the biological symptoms of trauma and how to reintegrate nervous system hyper-arousal or shutdown through somatic, body-oriented, awareness.
• Acquire useful clinical tools that break the cycle of replaying traumatic experiences.

Through scientifically grounded somatic techniques, the women will learn how to help themselves and their community members reconnect with a sense of wholeness, resiliency and balance.

Throughout the week camp there will be large group exercises, exercises in couples and small groups, as well as individual sessions. These exercises will facilitate the multi level understanding of the theory, in person, as well as deepen the skills involved:

• Resourcing, containment and how to base the process in the healing vortex.
• Tracking the body sensations, titration and establishing continuity through the "felt sense".
• Practice establishing defensive orienting responses, completion and discharge.
• Learn to uncouple fear from immobility; re-establish and maintain healthy boundaries.
• Be able to identify, normalize, and stabilize traumatic reactions.
• Explore the elements of internal experience (SIBAM), and integrating experiential polarities, in order to restore creative self-regulation.