Excerpted from the March 2007 NESTTD Newsletter
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I write this letter with a great sense of anticipation of our special conference in March with Ellert Nijenjuis. Naturally, this anticipation comes from knowing he will present information that is comprehensive, state-of-the-art and innovative. However this is just the beginning. There is the anticipation of spending two days with a presenter who consistently conveys a message that to work with dissociation and complex trauma is a great honor. He is a person who brings such high esteem to working with trauma and dissociation that one cannot help but feel a sense of pride.
My anticipation of Ellert Nijenhuis presenting to NESTTD began several months ago. In November 2006 I was attending the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) annual conference. Ellert was presenting research on evidence of the neurobiological impact of trauma. At one point Ellert paused and commented that researching and understanding the neurobiology of trauma and its impact on the person was crucial for advancing treatment for trauma and dissociation. In contrast, research that focused on disclaiming the impact of trauma on a person’s development was both limiting to the professional community and hurtful to our clients.
The passion with which he expressed this was poignant and left me to reflect on my commitment to working with trauma and dissociation. I felt pride in representing NESTTD, knowing that the organization holds a passion and commitment to advance the understanding of trauma and dissociation within the professional community. I felt honored to watch many NESTTD members and colleagues present research and workshops that accomplished this goal.
To come together with one another this March at NESTTD’s annual conference (two days this year!) is an honor. Training with Ellert Nijenhuis is an opportunity to move forward in our learning and treatment of trauma and dissociation. As a community it is an opportunity to continue to carry on the mission of NESTTD. The capacity to empower ourselves, our community, and ultimately our clients can best be summed up from an excerpt from The Haunted Self (van Der Hart, Nijenhuis, Steele, 2006):
After all, to live well, we must learn to be concerned about and care for ourselves and others, to know ourselves and other, to own our experience and value the experience of others, and to make the most of the present by acting in the best way we know how. This ability to act well is, in the end, all we have and what defines our humanity.
Look forward to seeing you in March.
Yours truly,
NESTTD President