Transforming Trauma with Clinical Hypnosis and Memory Reconsolidation

Can traumatic memories really be changed so they no longer haunt a person emotionally? Neuroscience research suggests they can by harnessing the mechanism of memory reconsolidation– the brain’s own process of updating an emotional memory with new meanings and associations.

Join Courtney Armstrong at the Alberta Clinical Hypnosis Society’s annual conference where she will get you up to date on this exciting discovery, explain why clinical hypnosis is a natural tool for eliciting memory reconsolidation, then demonstrate a simple five-step protocol you can use that integrates clinical hypnosis with cognitive-behavioral techniques to safely resolve traumatic memories and foster client resilience.

After the first day of the workshop, participants will be better able to:

1. List three ways that knowing how emotional trauma is processed in the brain can inform your case conceptualization.
2. Describe at least two differences between implicit and explicit memory.
3. List at least two benefits of using clinical hypnosis for emotional regulation and ego-strengthening prior to trauma reprocessing.
4. State at least two recent neuroscience discoveries regarding memory reconsolidation and their clinical implications for treating trauma.

After the second day of the workshop, participants will be better able to:

1. Describe the steps of the RECON model, an evidence-based imaginal rescripting technique to help clients reduce distress related to memories of childhood trauma List three benefits of utilizing metaphor and symbolic imagery to help clients develop a positive post-trauma identity.
2. List three benefits of utilizing an age progression technique to instill hope and foster resilience.
3. Describe at least two ways to help clients avoid re-traumatization while reviewing traumatic memories