Approved for 6 EMDRIA Credits

Shame is a meta-emotion that remains at the center of complex trauma and dissociative processes and is underneath aggressive and self-harming acts. Violent  children must self-organize to meet the internal and external demands of having to co-exist with daily reminders of their trauma. They carry truncated defenses, internalization of wounding attachment figures and shame which lay at the core of their challenges. Dysregulation, emotional constriction and  dissociation become part of their inner everyday reality. Aggression directed toward others as well as self-attacks, self-betrayal and shame are often present in severely traumatized children, constituting one of the biggest challenges for EMDR therapists.  The presence of perpetrator-imitating parts that hold a strong attachment to wounding figures is at the core of the major conflicts inside the dissociative system and with-it incidents of self-harm or violent acts towards others.

Presenter: Ana Gomez, LPC