In Brief:

All human experiences (thinking, feeling, remembering, imagining, connecting, relating, verbal and non-verbal expression, and action) arise from our three bodies (physical, subtle, and absolute) and their interactions with one another. As important and valuable it has been, the singular focus on the brain (and to a lesser extent the physical body) as the beginning and end of all of our experiences has severely limited psychology’s comprehension of the larger arena in which human experiences originate and play themselves out; and as a consequence has limited its ability to help those in need. Regardless of the specific psychotherapy training approach we use in our practice, we can help our clients better with their cognitive, emotional, behavioral, relational, as well as somatic and spiritual difficulties, if we know more of the following: a) how these three levels of our being interact with one another to generate all of our experiences; b) how they can get dysregulated during difficult experiences and shut down our life processes; and c) how to make the three levels more open, available, regulated, balanced, and in better relationship to one another while we work with our clients psychologically.  

Integral Somatic Psychotherapy (ISP), an integrative model that seeks to embrace all models of therapy as special cases, offers clinicians with diverse backgrounds a meta model for considerably increasing efficiency in their treatment outcomes through a greater understanding and incorporation of all three levels of our psyche (body, energy, and consciousness) into their practice. Based on Western and Eastern psychology, the value of ISP will be demonstrated especially through topics of current clinical interest, attachment, affect regulation, stress, and trauma. It is an advanced professional training for experienced clinicians who want to deepen into the three dimensions of body, energy, and consciousness to further enrich their work. In lieu of an introduction, participants can take the first training module and then decide whether to continue with the training. The prerequisites for enrollment are an active professional practice in psychotherapy, bodywork, energywork, or education with individuals or groups, a practice that involves psychological processing and an adequate somatic background such as completion of the advanced level of Somatic Experiencing (SE) training or equivalent training and personal knowledge of the body (determined on an individual basis).

In Detail:

Of late, there have been several successful attempts in psychology to increase treatment efficiency by incorporating the long-overlooked dimensions of the body, energy, and consciousness (awareness). Integral Somatic Psychotherapy (ISP) offers an integrated and advanced approach to utilizing all three dimensions simultaneously in any therapeutic work that involves psychological processing.  ISP provides understanding of the role of the physical body (defined here as nervous system as well as non nervous system physiology), the subtle body (of energy), and the absolute body (of consciousness) in generating as well as defending against psychological experience, and interventions to work directly with the body, energy, and consciousness in diverse clinical settings. 

Because ISP is presented in terms of general principles derived from a variety of disciplines and validated over time in a number of clinical settings, it offers all those who work psychologically a sophisticated body of knowledge to increase the embodiment of the body, energy, and awareness dimensions in their practice without having to change their prior clinical orientations or having to adopt interventions that are outside the norms of their professional practice. The role of the body, energy, and awareness in generating or disrupting psychological experiences on the one hand and facilitating or hampering self and interactive regulation on the other is taught through applications in areas of widespread current clinical interest such as affect regulation, attachment, stress, and trauma. And it offers considerable flexibility in the tools that can be used to work with the body, energy, and consciousness; tools such as awareness, movement, breath, sound, inter-personal resonance, self touch, and touch from another, as appropriate to the clinical setting.

Both professionals who have had prior training in body, energy, and awareness dimensions and clinicians with limited training in these areas have found ISP to significantly increase their treatment efficiency, and to support embodiment of these dimensions in themselves and their clients. However, because ISP is conceived as an advanced professional training, the prerequisites for enrollment are an active professional practice in psychotherapy, bodywork, energywork, or education with individuals or groups, a practice that involves psychological processing and an adequate somatic background such as completion of the advanced level of Somatic Experiencing (SE) training or equivalent training and personal knowledge of the body (determined on an individual basis). ISP will prove to be of considerable value to you, as a clinician, whether you are trained in a mainstream psychoanalytic or psychotherapy approach, a body-oriented psychotherapy approach (such as Bioenergetics, Somatic Experiencing, and Sensori-Motor Psychotherapy), or a bodywork modality such as Polarity Therapy or Biodynamic Cranio-Sacral Therapy or an energy school, as long as your practice also involves psychological processing.

The ISP professional training is taught in three four-day modules over a one-year period. The training format consists of lectures, demonstrations, practice with fellow participants, questions & answers, directed readings, therapy and supervision (both optional). The first module of the ISP training is open so that those interested, but unsure, can decide after module one whether to commit to the two remaining modules.  At the end of the training, participants will receive a certificate of completion of the Integral Somatic Psychotherapy (ISP) Professional Training.

About Raja Selvam, PhD, PhD

Raja Selvam, PhD, PhD, a senior faculty members in Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing (SE) professional trauma trainings, lectures and teaches in the U.S., England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Israel, India, Sri Lanka, Russia, Hong Kong, mainland China, and Brazil. Developer of the Integral Somatic Psychotherapy (ISP) and its companion Integral Trauma Resolution (ITR) approaches, Raja’s increasingly eclectic approach draws from bodywork systems of Postural Integration, Biodynamic Cranio-Sacral Therapy, and Polarity Therapy, body-psychotherapy systems of Bioenergetics and Bodynamic Analysis, Jungian and Archetypal psychologies, psychoanalytic schools of Object Relations and Inter-Subjectivity, Somatic Experiencing (SE), Affective Neuroscience, and Advaita Vedanta, a spiritual tradition from India.  Raja’s dissertation for his PhD in Clinical Psychology, his second doctoral degree, was on Advaita Vedanta and Jungian Psychology. His article on treating Indian tsunami survivors for trauma symptoms with the Integral Trauma Resolution approach (ITR) was published in the September 2008 issue of the journal Traumatology. In that study, almost 90% of treated survivors reported significant or complete improvement in both presenting symptoms as well as indicators of PTSD at an 8-month follow-up assessment. Two controlled studies from the two-year Indian tsunami project, under preparation for submission for publication, show comparable results. Raja’s article titled Jung and Consciousness is about to be published in the journal Spring in its special issue on Jung and India. Raja’s current outreach efforts are focused on a five-year project in Sri Lanka (in collaboration with Kindermissionwerk in Germany and Don Bosco in Germany and Sri Lanka) to increase local expertise in treating symptoms of war, violence, loss, and dislocation. Raja is also involved in increasing local expertise to treat symptoms of trauma among the less privileged in India, in collaboration with Don Bosco, India.

Continuing Education Credits - 24

Psychologists (APA) – Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education credit programs. CES maintains responsibility for this program.  This course provides 24 CE units. 

Social Workers (ASWB) – Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) is an Approved Continuing Education Provider for California Social Workers (Approval # PCE 4693).  CES, #1117, is also approved as a Provider for Social Work Continuing Education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB, 400 South Ridge Parkway, Ste B, Culpepper, VA 22701) www.aswb.org.  Social Workers receive 24 continuing education clock hours participating in this course.

Licensed Professional Counselors (CBBS & NBCC) - Commonwealth Educational Seminars is an approved provider (5596) by the National Board For Certified Counselors and adheres to NBCC sponsorship guidelines. In addition, CES is an approved continuing education provider by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. (Approval # PCE 4693).  Counselors receive 24 continuing education clock hours participating in this course.

Marriage & Family Therapists (various) - Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) is an Approved Continuing Education Provider for California Marriage & Family Therapists (Approval # PCE 4693).The following Marriage and Family Therapy Boards also accept programs offered by NBCC, ASWB or APA approved providers (of which we are approved): AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, MD, ME, MN, MS, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, VA, VT, WA AND WI. Marriage & Family Therapists receive 24 CE hours credit for this program.

Nurses (APA & CABRN)- As an APA approved provider CES programs are accepted by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Every state Board of Nursing accepts ANCC approved programs except California and Iowa. CES is also an approved Continuing Education provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, (Provider Number CEP15567) which is also accepted by the Iowa Board of Nursing. Nurses completing this program receive 24 CE hours of credit.

ISP Training Outline

The Integral Somatic Psychotherapy Professional Training is designed to impart the fundamental ISP skills for working with different aspects of human experience through the physical body (defined as nervous system and non nervous system physiology), the subtle body (of energy), and the absolute body (of consciousness). Attachment, affect regulation, stress, and trauma, areas of dominant clinical interest today, will be used to demonstrate the usefulness of the ISP knowledge and skills set during the training.

Training Objectives Include:

 1. In depth understanding how different layers of the physical body (in particular the muscular system governed by the somatic nervous system, the viscera governed by the autonomic nervous system, and the central nervous system) are involved in generating as well as defending against different aspects of human experience (thinking, feeling, remembering, imagining, expressing, acting, connecting and relating). This would include a presentation of affect and attachment theories and an exposition of the physiology of stress, trauma, affect and attachment in each of the three layers of the physical body.

2. Understanding how different elements of the subtle body (ether, air, fire, water, and earth) generate as well defend against different aspects of human experience as they flow through the different chakras to form the subtle body.

3.  Understanding how the physical body and the subtle body interact in generating as well as defending against different aspects of human experience.

4. Understanding how to work with the different layers of the physical body, the different elements of the subtle body through the chakras, and the relationships between the two bodies in order to a) better access, support, and complete aspects of human experience that underlie an individual’s current difficulties; and b) to bring about greater regulation and balance in and between the two bodies to enhance energetic, physical, and psychological health, capacity, and wellbeing in the whole person.

5. Understanding and working with inter-personal resonance and its underpinnings in the physical and subtle bodies to aid greater interactive regulation in physical, energetic, and psychological dimensions, especially as it relates to interactive regulation in affect and attachment contexts.

6. Understanding and working with the relationship between the absolute body (of consciousness) and the physical and subtle bodies; Understanding and working with dysfunctional patterns in awareness and attitudes on physical and subtle levels that block healing and growth in energetic, physical, psychological, and spiritual realms. 

ISP Advanced Professional Training Dates & Coordinators

NEW YORK

Module 1 - March 15 - 18, 2013 (Class completed)

Module 2 - October 11 - 14, 2013 (Class completed)

Module 3 -March 21 - 24, 2014 (Prerequisite is taking Module 1 & 2)

BERKELEY, CA

Module 1 - September 13 - 16, 2013 (DVD version available - contact Patricia at pmeadowsca@aol.com)

Module 2 - March 28 - 31, 2014 (Prerequisite is taking Module 1)

Module 3 - October 10 - 13, 2014

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AMHERST, MA

Module 1 - September 18 - 21, 2014

Module 2 - March 12 - 15, 2015

Module 3 - October 1 - 4, 2015

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