The Touchstone Institute

Day 1:

BLOCK #1: 

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM - Introductions & Intentions

1. Adaptive Information Processing- Review
2. Overview of Phases 1 & 2
3. The Scales, The Dance, The Lighthouse, The Canvas, The Tree
4. Considering Intersectionality
5. Checking Therapist Bias & Looking Through an Anti-Oppression Lens
6. We are all Spirits having an experience in a body. 
7. Large Group Experiential - guided meditation to awaken inner knowing.

>> 15-minute break from 12:30 PM - 12:45 PM

12:45 PM - 2:15 PM – Honoring Inner Knowing

1. Introduce Format for Training- Phase 1 Tasks/ Phase 2 Resourcing Ideas (intro scales 
   worksheet)
2. Catch & Stretch- Highlighting Adaptive Information
3. Slow bilateral stimulation to highlight and strengthen adaptive networks
4. Expanding Across Triune Brain 
5. Expanding Across 3 Prongs
6. Phase 1 – ways to access existing adaptive information 
7. Phase 2- Resourcing Ideas based on finding, strengthening and expending existing adaptive information/inner knowing 
8. Teach – two techniques 1. Highlighting Client’s Coping Skills & Adaptive Experiences, Solution-  focused Questioning, Catching Sparks in the Narrative, 2. Future Imagining with Therapy Goals and Intention Setting
9. Breakout rooms (30 minutes) – pick a technique and practice skills with a partner 

>>>Lunch from 2:15pm - 3:15PM

BLOCK #2:

3:15 PM - 4:45 PM  - Wound and Resilience History

1. Gathering Client’s History (expanding our definition of “history taking” to include intergenerational trauma, collective/system traumas, soul wounding, and any wounding that is meaningful to the individual)
2. Early Attachment and developmental history
3. Complex Trauma
4. Trauma history/ Major Life events 
5. Identifying Oppression/ Systemic Racism/ Intergenerational Trauma
6. Identifying resiliency over a lifespan - how did they get through all of this and where   
   there gifts?
7. Phase 1 – include questions to access this information, start with a container and at 
   least one coping skill to move out of activation 
8. Phase 2- Resourcing Ideas- Creating a Support Team, Ideal Parent, Connecting with ancestors/ spirit guides, Identifying Resiliency over the Lifespan, Parts Work, Resourcing for Stabilization (Flash, EMD, etc), exploring joy as resistance
9. Teach – Creating a Support Team and Parts Work
10. Breakout rooms (30 minutes) – pick a technique and practice skills with a partner 

>> 15-minute break from 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM – Honoring the unique nervous system in front of you

1. Every Nervous System has Unique Qualities – how do we get to know the qualities and adapt our approach to maximize their healing potential 
2. Capacity for Processing (vitamix analogy, do we need to slice it thinner, did they have a good enough attachment experience, dip a toe in?)
3. Celebrating Neurodiversity and modifying the script as needed
4. Affect Tolerance/ Window of Tolerance 
5. Dissociation
6. Phase 1 – Questions to explore…
7. Phase 2- Resourcing Ideas- Practicing Titration/ Shifting States, Resources to arouse nervous system, resources to calm nervous system (breath work, humming, sensory grounding, vagal nerve reset, Jim Knipe’s Back of the Head Scale, Exploring Parts of Self, Resourcing for Stabilization (Flash, EMD, recent event protocols)
8. Teach – how to practice titration and shifting states with clients. Model “Flash Dance”
9. Large Group Experiential – FLASH DANCE party!

Day 2:

BLOCK #1: 

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM – Expanded Ways to Work with Themes & Beliefs

1. Review Thematic Floatbacks (update language from “course of your life” to “through your inner knowing”)
2. Identifying Negative Cognitions (include collective NCs)
3. Highlighting Potential Positive/Adaptive Cognitions (include collective PCs)
4. Strengthening and expanding PCs the client is “going for” (times in your life you felt the PC, 
   relationships you felt the PC, imagination to imagine what that might look like)
5. Listening for Blocking Beliefs 
6. Phase 1 – Thematic Floatback scripts with “through your inner knowing”, Floatbacks can be 
   somatic/affect-specific, get creative e.g. spirit animal with a quality they would like to move toward
7. Phase 2- Resourcing Ideas- Highlighting Desired Internal Qualities of Self Using Animal Imagery, Highlighting potential PC’s, Future Rehearsal Exercise, Rescripting Exercise, RDI, Idealized Parent Protocol – what would it have felt like to believe this about yourself growing up?)
8. Show 2 Demo Videos (20 minutes) -  Highlighting Desired Internal Qualities of Self Using Animal Imagery and Future Rehearsal
9. Breakout rooms (30 minutes) – pick a technique and practice skills with a partner

>> 15-minute break from 12:30 PM - 12:45 PM

12:45 PM - 2:15 PM – Honoring the specific wounds of clients who have been historically and systematically excluded. 

1. Overview of Colonization – source of soul wounding, wounding the earth.  Mirrored in environmental crisis. 
2. Overview of Oppression/ Systemic Racism /Intersectionality 
3. Overview if Intergenerational Trauma
4. Questions to ask yourself? About your Bias?  How you view clients from these populations? – We need to do our own work before working with folx in these populations, or we risk doing more harm. 
5. Phase 1: How do we invite these important topics into the therapy room?
6. (cultural questioning, paying close attention to language/word choice, honoring anger/rage, name your bias and considering asking “how does it feel to be working with a therapist who is (name your difference) than you?)
7. Phase 2:  Exploring joy as resistance, telling of their story and celebrating culture/homeland, brining ritual into session, strengthening ties to ancestors, spirit, traditions of old, land, earth; including ancestors in your support team, meditation, return to nature, drumming, prayer, music, joy)
8. DEMO Video (20 mins) – Interviewing, catch and stretch, joy as resistance, bringing it to the future, cue word
9. Large Group discussion about demo video

>>>Lunch from 2:15pm - 3:15 PM

BLOCK #2:

3:15 PM -  4:45 PM – Consult with Experts with Lived Experience!

1. Brief video clips from consultants who specialize in working with these populations.
   • BIPOC
   • Neurodiversity 
   • Disability
   • Gender Diversity
   • Immigrants / Language Diversity  
   • Complex Trauma 
   • Dissociation 
   • Pregnant/Perinatal 
2. Large Group Discussion (15 minutes) – what were some takeaways? 

>> 15-minute break from 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM

5:00PM - 6:30PM – Don’t get lost in the sauce. (you’ve got this!!)

1. When are we ready to move to Phase 3 and beyond and where do we start?
2. How do we know when they’re resourced enough? (ability to shift states, demonstrated that they use their resources in session and in life,) REMINDER – you can always go back to phases 1 and 2, and sometimes you won’t uncover what is needed until you peel back layers in reprocessing. 
3. Target Sequencing Planning (Client’s gut about starting point, Client’s nervous system capacity  - Dip a toe in? - Need a win? - Dissolve skepticism? - On fire?,  Timing Considerations - Limited sessions, Cannot “fall apart” right now, Legal considerations; Clearing Touchstone (earliest memory first?)
4. Case Vignette in Breakout rooms (30 minutes) – Using the skills and resources taught in this training as well as your unique flavor/clinical specialties, work in groups to conceptualize working with this client. 
5. Large Group - Questions & Closing Discussion (30 minutes)