Review of Dr. Janina Fisher’s presentation of
“The Body as a Shared Whole: Somatic Interventions for working with Trauma and Dissociation”
on September 29, 2007
By Jose Hidalgo, MD
It was a wonderful treat to have Janina Fisher Ph.D., former NESTTD board president, share her knowledge and wisdom with our membership. Her ½ day workshop entitled “The Body as a Shared Whole” was an exciting tapestry bringing together promising treatment approaches and theoretical formulations for trauma and dissociation. I very much enjoyed learning, for example, how Internal Family systems (IFS) could be used along side Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP). It was inspiring to receive her thoughtful presentation delivered with a strong and kind presence.
What follows are some of the highlights of her workshop. Dr. Fisher offered clear explanations of the process of dissociation and what happens to the mind and body when exposed to traumatic triggers. Then followed very practical step-by-step instructions on how to assess and work with trauma and dissociation using Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, Mindfulness, and other treatment approaches.
Dr. Fisher began laying a foundation by explaining dissociation from body-centered, Internal Family Systems perspectives, as well as Structural Theory of Dissociation. According to Dr. Fisher, traumatized parts are driven by autonomic arousal and when triggered a person can be driven to states of hyper or hypo-arousal. Over time the body structure can assume postures that coincide with traumatized parts. Dr Fisher explained how body-centered techniques could be very useful in tracking trauma responses and adaptations of body structure. Dr. Fisher then showed us how to invoke the, “wise self,” (Internal Family System’s perspective) to heal traumatized parts, and how to enhance the beneficial effects the “wise self” using Sensorimotor techniques.
Dr. Fisher discussed the importance of mindfulness and of learning how to listen and track not just narratives but other body-centered information such as gestures, motor impulses, and facial expressions in order to understand how traumatized parts live in the form of procedural memory and conditioned responses. She described qualities of mindfulness such as curiosity, sense of calm and how mindfulness can be a powerful tool to transform conditioned habitual responses.
Dr. Fisher has been an avid student of emerging novel treatments for trauma and dissociation, and now has become a master teacher; she has weaved sophisticated theories and treatment approaches into a coherent approach to address complicated clinical problems in a very practical and easy to understand format. We were very fortunate to have her present to us and I encourage you to make it a priority to attend any of her future trainings.