Somatic Addiction Treatment Certification: Treat Trauma and Addiction with Polyvagal, Parts Work, Gestalt and More Embodied Approaches

Credit

Handouts/Brochure

Speaker

Rafael Cortina, LMFT Related seminars and products

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Rafael J. Cortina, LMFT, is a Master Addiction Counselor, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Level II, and Certified Gestalt Therapist with specialized expertise in addiction treatment, EMDR, Dreamwork, and trauma processing for dual-diagnosis clients. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he brings over 24 years of clinical experience across Mexico and the United States, working with individuals, couples, families, and groups. Rafael has extensive experience treating mood and anxiety disorders (with an emphasis on depression and bipolar), grief, and loss and has been a dedicated advocate for LGBTQ+ clients and those living with HIV/AIDS.

He holds a Master of Arts in counseling psychology and an MBA with a marketing emphasis from National University in San Diego. An adjunct faculty member at National University and vice president for the International Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy, Rafael is a sought-after speaker and presenter, leading international workshops, trainings, and lectures.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Rafael Cortina has employment relationships with National University and Gestalt Psychotherapy and Consulting. He receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Rafael Cortina has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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Objectives

1. Explore how addiction serves as an adaptive response to unresolved trauma, with reference to the limitations of traditional models (e.g., DSM) in addressing addiction.
2. Apply Gestalt principles to addiction and trauma recovery, focusing on relational healing.
3. Practice body-based interventions, including breathwork, movement, somatic tracking, and Gestalt techniques to support trauma processing and recovery.
4. Explain the role of varied brain structures, neuroplasticity and polyvagal theory in recovery.
5. Identify how compulsive behavior can function as creative adjustment and the impact on adult behavior and relationships.
6. Create a safe, co-regulated therapeutic space that fosters vulnerability, meaningful contact, and compassion in recovery.
7. Explain how to help clients access emotional states through body awareness.
8. Practice meaningful witnessing, validating client experiences, and fostering relational healing for addiction and trauma treatment.
9. Combine cognitive restructuring with somatic interventions to treat addiction and trauma while regulating the nervous system.
10. Identify strategies for relapse prevention and maintaining long-term recovery, including fostering purpose and relational support.
11. Explain the implementation of the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma Therapy as it applies to addiction treatment.
12. Identify the ethical considerations, family involvement, and role of group therapy in embodied trauma and addiction recovery.

Outline

Part One: An Embodied Understanding of Addiction & Trauma

A Compassionate & Relational Approach to Addiction

• How Gabor Mate’s work informs our practice
• A relational understanding of human needs
• The role of the therapist to…
  • Create a ‘safe enough’ space
  • Value vulnerability
  • Create Meaningful Contact
• Addiction beyond substances

A “Functional” Understanding of Addiction

• The medical model falls short & limitations of DSM-V-TR™
• Gabor Mate’s definition applied
• Hope as “embodied knowledge”
• Shifting focus from behavior to emotional needs

The Role of Treating Trauma in Addiction Treatment

• Trauma as an emotional and somatic imprint
• Adaptation and survival through disconnect
• Neuroscience of trauma, impact on the brain
• Polyvagal theory: Understanding the nervous system in trauma
• Trauma in adult experience
• Trauma, addiction, and other co-occurring disorders

Essentials of Addiction Treatment

• Neurobiology of addiction
• Biopsychosocial aspects of substance use disorders: Nature vs Nurture
• Substances & classifications
• Behavioral/process addictions
• Levels of treatment/inpatient/out/intensive
• Behavioral Treatment
• Medication Assisted Treatment
• Incorporating the Harm Reduction Model

Part Two: A Relational Approach to Body-Based Assessment & Treatment Planning

Embodied Assessment: Somatic Awareness, Regulation & Stabilization Techniques

• Mindfully assessing addiction history, screening tools, and intake questions
• Making a diagnosis based on levels of use, biological and physiologic markers
• Establishing a relational approach in the early stages of therapy
• Sensitively exploring the story and trauma markers
• The importance of safety and support in early recovery

Part Three: An Embodied Framework for Healing: Integrative Techniques from

Somatic, Polyvagal, Parts Work, & Gestalt Approaches Somatic & Body-Based Interventions

• Somatic tracking and body awareness techniques
• Movement and breathwork interventions
• Body-based mindfulness and grounding exercises
• Yoga and movement therapy for addiction recovery
• Resourcing the body for emotional resilience
• Polyvagal strategies for nervous system regulation and stabilization

Parts Works Interventions

• Experiential skill building
• Body contact and awareness exercises
• Making space experiment
• Developing self-functions for resilience
• Trauma work: Undoing, redoing, and mourning
• Reprocessing and recontextualization of trauma
• Transforming and transcending trauma narratives

Compassionate/Relational Gestalt Trauma Model

• Tri-phasic model of trauma treatment
• Trauma work vs. Trauma processing
• Exploring how trauma shapes relational fields
• The role of compassion in holding trauma
• The relational Gestalt framework for trauma recovery
• Witnessing and validating
• Supporting Ambivalence
• The art of working with what is in front of you
• Therapist's self-awareness and maintaining attunement
• Addressing the client’s fears of facing trauma and letting go of addictive behaviors

Special Issues in Embodied Addiction Treatment

• Ethical and legal considerations
• The role of group therapy, support groups, and 12-step groups
• Substance use among children and adolescents, prevention and treatment
• Special Populations include LGBTQ clients and those in the Criminal Justice System

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychiatrists
• Psychologists
• Case Managers
• Addiction Counselors
• Therapists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Psych Nurses
• Other Mental Health Professionals