Presented by Ainat Rogel, Diana Martinez, & Leon Moral: Developmental Trauma (DT) or complex childhood trauma is arguably one of the most important public health challenges in the United States. It has a negative impact on the mental, physiological and neurobiological functioning, leads to a lower quality of life, early death and creates a substantial financial burden for the individuals affected, their families, and the healthcare system as a whole. Moreover, people with DT are often more resistant to traditional therapy. Research have shown that neurofeedback and biofeedback effectively treat people with DT. The purpose of this workshop is to deepen the participants’ understanding of DT and ways to effectively incorporate neurofeedback and biofeedback to treat individuals with DT.
The workshop will address an integrative approach to treat DT using neurofeedback and biofeedback with psychotherapy. It will begin by defining DT and how it differs from PTSD. After providing an overview of the impact of DT on health and well-being, it will focus on the brain development and functioning. Next, the workshop will review research on the effectiveness of neurofeedback and biofeedback on individuals with DT. Finally, it will focus on the challenges therapists may encounter when working with individuals with DT, and ways to integrate traditional therapy with neurofeedback and biofeedback in overcoming those challenges. Case presentation will be used to highlight these points.
The workshop will conclude with incorporating neurological and physiological assessments. i.e. neuromarkers and physiomarkers, in addition to the traditional subjective assessments (e.g. questionnaires). At the individual level, we will discuss ways of assessing clients’ baseline functioning, providing guidance for treatment, and tracking progress. To further the use and improve the outcome of these techniques, the benefits and challenges of identifying patterns of brain and physiological activities will be discussed.
Overall, this workshop will provide its participants with a more complete understanding of DT and ways to improve treatment outcomes through an integrative approach of neurofeedback and biofeedback. The workshop will be concluded with future directions and challenges.
