Friday January 10, 2014
Healing Shame and Trauma: Creating Optimal Distance
Presented by Sheila Rubin, LMFT, RDT/BCT
and Bret Lyon, PhD, SEP
Shame, perhaps the most painful of all emotions, lies at the root of both “the inner critic” and perfectionism. Shame tends to hide behind and bind with other emotions, such as anger and fear, making it hard to identify as an emotion. Also, revealing shame in itself can be shameful. For many clients who don’t improve or get better in therapy, shame undefined, unacknowledged and not worked through is the primary factor. Shame is distinct from other emotions in that it is both a primary emotion and a freeze state. It causes similar physical and emotional freezing as trauma does. Shame, like trauma, needs to be approached with special care so that the client won't become overwhelmed. It needs to be carefully contained as it is worked through.
In this presentation, Sheila Rubin and Bret Lyon will share and demonstrate techniques for creating the moment-by-moment “optimal distance” our clients need in working with and moving through the shame and trauma to greater peace and aliveness. The process of working with and moving through is done by carefully guiding the client's states of awareness. While especially essential for working with shame and trauma, these techniques can be used with any emotion.
Bret Lyon and Sheila Rubin co-lead Healing Shame Workshops for Therapists across America. They are based in Berkeley where they offer a full training program for therapists, as well as workshops several times a year. For information about them and their workshops visit www.healingshame.com
Sheila Rubin, LMFT, RDT/BDT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Somatic Therapist, and a Registered Drama Therapist. She has also trained in Hakomi and Emotionally Focused Therapy. Sheila Rubin integrates somatic, expressive, and attachment modalities to treat couples, adults, and children who are survivors of trauma and shame-related experiences. For example, in her work with couples she focuses on coping with infidelity, deepening intimacy and pleasure, and strengthening the attachment bond. Sheila Rubin has a private practice wit offices in San Francisco and Berkeley. She holds adjunct faculty positions at CIIS and JFK University, and is a CAMFT certified supervisor.
Bret Lyon, PhD, SEP, has a background in theater and holds doctorates in both Psychology and Drama. He has been a consultant and teacher of Somatic and Emotional Mindfulness for over 25 years. Dr. Lyon is certified in Focusing and Somatic Experiencing and has trained extensively in Reichian Breathwork, EFT (with Sue Johnson) and AEDP (with Diana Fosha).
CAMFT