Partner SMARTmoves Auburndale, Massachusetts, United States
Abstract Body memories are both a problematic symptom for many survivors, as well as an access point for healing (Kearney et al., 2023). Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART) is a therapy that was originally designed for children and adolescents who have suffered from exposure to complex trauma (Cook, 2005) and its functional (Spinazzola, van der Kolk, & Ford, 2021)and neurobiological consequences (Teicher & Samson, 2016). Since its inception, SMART was grown into a treatment for all ages. This workshop will first introduce participants to the SMART model and its relevance to dissociation. Next, we will elucidate through video and case examples how dissociation in the form of body memories, fragments of traumatic memory, emerges in session with both children and adults, as well as how to use regulation through sensory and motor inputs to work with the body memories as they appear. We will also provide some information about neurobiological structures (Cooper & McPeek, 2021) (Lenggenhager, Lopez, Metzinger, & Windt, 2015; Prabhu & Himmelbach, 2023) hypothesized to underlie body memory and dissociation, and why sensory motor engagement may facilitate trauma processing.
In our introduction of SMART, we will describe the three main targets of the model- Somatic Regulation, Trauma Processing, and Attachment-Building. The methods we use to address these goals are our Regulation Tools, Therapist Skills, and Video Reflection. Participants will also be introduced to our SMART Regulation Map, which is used in assessment and treatment to guide clinical decision making, and our Developmental Hierarchy. Since dissociation is a hallmark feature of complex trauma, we will discuss the range of dissociative symptoms that we see emerge in the context of treatment.
Our first case example is of a preteen boy who has a body memory emerge in treatment and begins to dissociate by becoming hypoaroused and shutting down. In this example, the therapist uses some of the Regulation Tools and Therapist Skills to bring him out of his dissociative state.
The second example is of an adult woman whose body memory occurs while she is trying to regulate herself sensorily and motorically (Riva, 2017; Russ, Mack, Grama, Lanfermann, & Knopf, 2003). Her dissociation manifests as a loss of memory for the previous session and disconnection from her body, and yet her strong sensory seeking helps her process early trauma that is associated with the body memory.
In our third case example, we will be showing a child using embodied dramatic play, which is one step up the developmental hierarchy from pure body memories in that it involves more access to symbolic thinking and action. Through this type of play in SMART, this child is able to stay present and regulated, so that they can process his/her trauma without getting as overwhelmed.
In summary, we will review the ways in which dissociation can show up in session and how we treat these symptoms using SMART.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this session participants will be able to:
Identify three sensory inputs (Tools of Regulation for somatic regulation) necessary for movement that might help a person come out of a dissociative state by changing arousal
Identify one brainstem structure that plays a role in body movement
Describe how a traumatic body memory can be evoked by a particular posture and changed by a postural change in the present moment
Define embodied dramatic play as seen in a child therapy and give an example of how it might present clinically
Identify one body memory expression in a client, and one regulation tool that you think might provide effective regulation for that person
