PESI offers several free training courses every year on the most current and effective approaches in therapy. It's our way of giving back to our community of clinicians who are doing such important work in the world.
Join Dr. Bessel van der Kolk live, with special guest Licia Sky, as he presents his signature presentation on treating the imprints of trauma on the body, mind, and soul…
absolutely FREE.
"I'm presenting this training to serve as both a guide and an invitation—an invitation to dedicate ourselves to facing the reality of trauma, to explore how best to treat it, and to commit ourselves, as a society, to using every means we have to prevent it." — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
Let Dr. van der Kolk show you how to apply proven methods and approaches like neurofeedback, EMDR, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and sensory integration in your clinical practice — so you can experience the satisfaction of helping even your toughest client heal from deep-rooted trauma.
Don't miss your opportunity to learn from one of the most influential voices in the field of trauma treatment.
Register for
FREE Today!
Can't attend live? Register anyway for
14-day free access to the training!
*CE credit and certificate of completion are available for
an additional cost.
Register for more information.
By registering, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Notice, and if applicable, our Event Terms.
Free Live Virtual Event
2-Day: Trauma Conference: The Body Keeps the Score-Trauma Healing Through the Senses with Bessel van der Kolk, MD
December 11–12, 2025
from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern
Can't attend live? Register anyway for
14-day free access to the training!
*CE credit and certificate of completion are
available for an additional cost. Register for more information.
What you'll learn from this exclusive training from
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk…
Part 1 | Neuroscience & Brain
Development
- Neuroscience and brain development
- How children learn to regulate their arousal systems
- How the brain regulates itself
- Developmental psychopathology: The derailment of developmental processes and brain development due to trauma, abuse, and neglect
- How the brain responds to treatment
Early Life Trauma
- Interpersonal neurobiology
- Adaptations to trauma early in the life cycle
- Loss of affect regulation
- Chronic destructive relationships towards self and others
- Dissociation and amnesia
- Somatization
- Self-blame, guilt, and shame
- Chronic distrust and identification with the aggressor
Part 2 | Attachment, Trauma, and
Psychopathology
- The breakdown of information processing in trauma
- Mirror neuron systems and brain development
- How to overcome the destabilization and disintegration
- The compulsion to repeat – origins and solutions
- Difference between disorganized attachment and traumatic stress
Neuroscience, Trauma, Memory, and the Body
- The neurobiology of traumatic stress
- Learned helplessness and learned agency
- Restoring active mastery and the ability to attend to current experiences
- Somatic re-experiencing of trauma-related sensations and affects that serve as engines for continuing maladaptive behaviours
- How mind and brain mature in the context of caregiving systems
Part 3 | The Diagnosis of Treatment of
Trauma-Related Disorders
- Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD)
- Affect and impulse dysregulation
- Disturbances of attention, cognition, and consciousness
- Distortions in self-perception and systems of meaning
- Interpersonal difficulties
- Somatization and biological dysregulation
- The development of DTD in the DSM-5® as a diagnosis and its implications for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment
The Latest Research on Trauma-specific Treatment
Interventions
- Experiential body-oriented therapy exercises with Licia Sky
- The role of body-oriented and neurologically-based therapies to resolve the traumatic past
- Alternatives to drugs and talk therapy
- EMDR
- Self-regulation, including yoga
- Mindfulness
- Play and theatre
- Dance, movement, and sensory integration
- Neurofeedback
Your Daily Event Schedule
All times are Eastern
10:00 am – Morning Session Kickoff
12:00 pm – Morning Break*
12:10 pm – Morning Session Resumes
1:50 pm – Lunch Break*
3:00 pm – Afternoon Session Kickoff
4:00 pm – Afternoon Break*
4:10 pm – Afternoon Session Resumes
5:00 pm – We’re done for the day!
*Break start times are approximate
Free Live Virtual Event
2-Day: Trauma Conference: The Body Keeps the Score-Trauma Healing Through the Senses with Bessel van der Kolk, MD
December 11–12, 2025
from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern
Can't attend live? Register anyway for
14-day free access to the training!
*CE credit and certificate of completion are
available for an additional cost. Register for more information.
Meet Your Experts
Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD, author of the #1 New York Times best-seller, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Treatment of Trauma, is a clinician, researcher and teacher in post-traumatic stress and complex trauma treatments. He is President of The Trauma Research Foundation that works to integrate developmental, neurobiological, psychodynamic and interpersonal aspects of the impact of trauma and its treatment.
Dr. van der Kolk and his various collaborators have published extensively on the impact of trauma on development, such as dissociative problems, borderline personality and self-mutilation, cognitive development, memory, and the psychobiology of trauma. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles on such diverse topics as neuroimaging, self-injury, memory, neurofeedback, Developmental Trauma, yoga, theatre, and EMDR.
Click here for information about Bessel A. van der Kolk
Licia Sky, BFA,, is a Boston-based somatic educator, writer, artist, singer-songwriter, and bodyworker who works with traumatized individuals and trains mental health professionals to use mindful meditation for attunement, healing, and connection.
Click here for information about Licia Sky
Frequently Asked Questions
This event is free to attend, however, if you would like to earn CE credit, you can purchase live or self-study CE options in your portal after registering. Enter your credit card information and complete the upgrade to become eligible to earn CE for attending this event. It's that easy!
Yes! This training is designed for:
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychiatrists
- Addiction Counselors
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Therapists
- Physicians
- Chaplains/Clergy
- Nurses
- Other Mental Health Professionals
If you would like to be a part of this event but you are unable to attend live, you can sign up for free and receive 14 days of access to the event recordings to watch on your own, or purchase the self-study version of the training to complete whenever is most convenient for you with 6-month access and earn up to 10.5 CE hours!
Yes, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with Dr. van der Kolk live during the training. This ensures you get the most out of this educational experience.
There is no obligation or commitment required when registering for the free training. It's an opportunity for you to learn and explore how the body keeps the score at no cost.
Thursday, December 11th and Friday, December 12th from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time
There will be a 70-minute lunch and two 10-minute breaks: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Lunch and break times will be announced by the speaker and at their discretion.
There will be a 70-minute lunch and two 10-minute breaks: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Lunch and break times will be announced by the speaker and at their discretion.
Free Live Virtual Event
2-Day: Trauma Conference: The Body Keeps the Score-Trauma Healing Through the Senses with Bessel van der Kolk, MD
December 11–12, 2025
from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern
Can't attend live? Register anyway for
14-day free access to the training!
*CE credit and certificate of completion are
available for an additional cost. Register for more information.
EVENT COUNTDOWN
0
Days
:
0
Hours
:
0
Minutes
:
0
Seconds