The Therapeutic Body: A Systems-Based Approach to Trauma Healing Through Somatic Therapy and the Nervous System On-Demand CE Webinar for therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists
 

On-Demand: The Therapeutic Body: A Systems-Based Approach to Trauma Healing Through Somatic Therapy and the Nervous System - 6 hours


To access the discount form for registering for multiple workshops or participants, please click here.

  • CE Hours Included: 6 (please see below for details)
  • Format: On-Demand Webinar (“Asynchronous”) ~ At your leisure to be viewed at your own pace. You may pause, rewind, and fast forward at any point during the videos. You are in complete control of how you view this workshop. It also comes with a PowerPoint and references. There is a quiz at the end to ensure viewing and required by all CE approval organizations.
  • Investment: $140 (provides lifetime access!)
  • Presented by: Tara Arnold, Ph.D., LCSW, CEDS-C and Becca Clegg, LPC, CEDS-C (see bios below)
  • Date of Recording: April 17, 2026
  • Instruction Level: Intermediate
  • Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists
  • This workshop is not yet available; by pre-registering, you will receive immediate access when it becomes available in April.

Educational Objectives:

After completing this workshop in its entirety, you will be able to:

  • Discuss how trauma affects the nervous system, body, and sensory processing beyond cognitive awareness.
  • Discuss the key principles of Polyvagal Theory and their relevance to emotional regulation, safety, and therapeutic presence.
  • Outline physical and somatic indicators of trauma, including dysregulation in breath, sensory systems, and autonomic response patterns.
  • Demonstrate somatic techniques that can be integrated into talk therapy to support nervous system regulation and embodied healing.
  • Apply somatic self-regulation tools to their own bodies as clinicians, in order to enhance self-awareness, prevent burnout, and maintain therapeutic attunement.
  • Compare and contrast hierarchical and collaborative models of healing, with an emphasis on trauma-informed, client-empowered frameworks.
  • Utilize co-regulation strategies to support safety, connection, and resilience within the therapeutic relationship.

Workshop Description:

In this immersive 6-hour workshop designed for psychologists and mental health professionals, we explore what it truly means to treat the whole human - mind, body, and nervous system.
Trauma is not just held in thoughts—it’s imprinted in the body, woven into the breath, sensory systems, and physiological responses. When we rely solely on cognitive strategies, we risk overlooking the deeper layers where trauma lives and healing begins. This training bridges the gap between traditional talk therapy and body-based approaches, offering a grounded, clinically-informed path to integration.
Drawing on somatic therapy, nervous system research, and a trauma-informed lens, you’ll learn how to help clients reconnect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems, and access deeper levels of safety, presence, and transformation.
This workshop blends theory with hands-on practices, empowering clinicians to expand their therapeutic toolbox in ways that are both evidence-based and deeply human.

Course Outline:

I. Systems Theory & Trauma-Informed Foundations (40 minutes)

• Systems theory and whole-system healing will be explored.
• Explanation and examples of Mind-body-spirit integration and how to treat the whole person.
• TICBI principles and cultural responsiveness to help show trauma understanding across cultures.
• Describe ways that the trauma imprints in muscles, joints, breath, and our ANS.

II. Polyvagal Theory: Foundations of Autonomic Regulation (30 minutes)

• Sympathetic, Ventral Vagal, and Dorsal Vagal branches will be described.
• Window of tolerance will be explored.
• Evolutionary hierarchy of ANS and history of the branches and theory will be shown.
• Symptom re-conceptualization versus diagnosis and pathologization of clients.

III. Empirical Support: PVT & Mindfulness Research (30 minutes)

• HRV and respiratory sinus arrhythmia explained and linked to PVT.
• Evidence base for PVT presented with validation of efficacy as well as recent controversies.
• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction history and research
• Levels of mindfulness from various theories are discussed.

Break

IV. Somatic Therapy & Neurobiology of Trauma (30 minutes)

• Explain why we are speechless in trauma.
• Describe the difference in Subcortical vs cortical processing in the brain.
• Learn to highlight and focus on our Sensation over narrative.
• Understand the body as a representation of our unconscious.

V. The Three Sensory Systems in Somatic Therapy (40 minutes)

• Exteroceptive orientation will be explored.
• Proprioceptive stabilization will be described.
• Interoceptive awareness will be shown and embodied.
• Clinical applications for somatic practices using props (weighted objects, containment).

VI. Therapeutic Touch & NeuroAffective Touch® (30 minutes)

• Amygdala sensitization will be taught.
• Safe, titrated touch will be explored and highlighted.
• The importance of Consent and how to use trauma-informed practices with people who have trauma.
• NeuroAffective Touch principles will be explained.

Lunch Break

VII. Energy Psychology & Reiki (30 minutes)

• Biofield concepts will be explored.
• EFT overview will be provided to teach the technique.
• Reiki definitions & efficacy studies will be provided.
• Clinical acceptance challenges will be presented.

VIII. Brainspotting & Eye-Based Therapies (40 minutes)

• Core tenets of brainspotting will be explained, such as “Where you look affects how you feel.”
• Subcortical processing and how it is utilized in brainspotting will be explored.
• SUDS tracking will be demonstrated for therapists.
• BSP research outcomes and implications will be shown.

Break

IX. Hypnosis & Autonomic State Shifts (30 minutes)

• State vs insight-based change will be explored.
• ANS engagement examples will be provided and experienced.
• Prosody and tone impacts will be highlighted as ways to determine NS states.
• Trauma-informed hypnosis for trauma-informed practice will be described and experienced.

X. Breath, Sound & Vagal Stimulation (30 minutes)

• Breath ratios and arousal will be taught.
• Humming, chanting, and singing will be experienced for vagal tone practices.
• Safe and Sound Protocol will be explored for trauma healing.
• Vagal tone and the impact of the vagus nerve will be highlighted.

XI. Total Body Practices: TRE, Yoga, & Restoration (30 minutes)

• TRE mechanism and research will be described.
• Trauma-Sensitive Yoga and its rationale will be presented as a NS based treatment.
• NSDR Non Sleep Deep Restoration and other restorative practices will be presented.
• Integration and summary of total body practices and methods for healing the trauma body.

Presented by:

Tara Arnold, Ph.D., LCSW, CEDS-C

Tara Arnold, PhD, LCSW, CEDS-C, brings a wealth of expertise to her role as Clinical Co-Director and Founder at Wholeheart Psychotherapy. With a robust background in social work, she specializes in addressing perfectionism, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Dr. Arnold holds a Doctorate in Social Work and is deeply versed in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT), having undergone rigorous training in both methodologies. Additionally, she has pursued training in various body-based techniques such as hypnotherapy, Reiki, yoga, and Brainspotting.
As an IAEDP-Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Consultant, she is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the field. Since 2003, she has operated a thriving private practice, delivering personalized care to her clients. Dr. Arnold is nationally recognized for her expertise in DBT, RO DBT, eating disorder treatment, yoga, hypnotherapy, and Reiki, and has been an esteemed educator since 2000. Committed to promoting excellence in therapy, she offers individual and group supervision for therapists looking to enhance their clinical skills, particularly in the realms of DBT/RO DBT, embodiment, and certified eating disorder specialist domains.

Becca Clegg, LPC, CEDS-C

Becca Clegg, LPC, CEDS-C, is a somatic therapist dedicated to guiding individuals on their journey toward the reclamation of their authentic selves. She is the Clinical Director at Authentic Living Counseling & Wellness, an Atlanta-based counseling collective that focuses on holistic, and somatic psychotherapy. Becca has trained in various somatic healing modalities, such as Embodied Recovery, Transformative Touch, Neuroaffective Touch, Hypnotherapy, Brainspotting & Safe and Sound Protocol. She is the author of the book Ending The Diet Mindset: Reclaiming a Healthy and Balanced Relationship with Food and Body Image, Host of the Inner Alchemy Podcast, and Co-Creator of Your Recovery Resource, an Online Program for Families and Loved Ones of Those In Recovery from Eating Disorders.
6 "Asynchronous" Core CE Hours Included - Details by License Type Below:
  • PSYCHOLOGISTS: The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company maintains responsibility for this program and its content. For more detailed information on the current CE ruling in Georgia, or if you are licensed in another state or country, please click here.
  • COUNSELORS: The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP), ACEP No. 7153. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Please click here for more detailed information.
  • SOCIAL WORKERS: TKT has applied for approval for this workshop through the Georgia Society for Clinical Social Work (GSCSW). If you are licensed in another state or country, please click here for more detailed information.
  • MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPISTS: TKT has applied for approval for this workshop through the Georgia Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (GAMFT). If you are licensed in another state or country, please click here for more detailed information.

Registration: To register for individual workshops, you may use our online payment option, or to pay by check you may print and complete the Registration Form and mail or fax it to our office. The registration form is available on our website: www.theknowledgetree.org. Registration is permitted until the time the workshop begins, unless otherwise specified.

Multiple Workshop Special: There is a 10% Discount with registration for two workshops. There is a 15% Discount with registrations for three or four workshops. There is a 20% Discount with registration for five or more workshops.

Refund/Cancellation Policy: If you can no longer attend a workshop you have registered for, you can either receive a credit for another workshop or receive a refund if you are within the refund policy period. Refunds will be given for cancellations received at least five days prior to the workshop. More information about refund/cancellation can be found here.

Attendance Policy: 100% attendance and completion of a course evaluation is required at any CE program in order to receive credit for that CE program. No partial credit is given. Certificates of completion will be available in each attendee’s account once the broadcast has ended and the course evaluation completed.

ADA Requests: We will make every effort to accommodate any reasonable ADA request. Please call or email us at least two weeks prior to the event. Payment and registration are required to fulfill an ADA request.

No Conflict Policy: Neither The Knowledge Tree nor its speakers have received any commercial support for this program or its contents and will not receive any commercial support prior to or during this program. 

System Requirements: Live Interactive Webinars are facilitated via Zoom. System requirements for the Zoom platform are linked at our FAQ page.

We are an approved vendor for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for easy reimbursement of educational expenses for VA employees.


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The Knowledge Tree, a Summit Professional Education Company, offers courses that provide continuing education hours as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and holds Approved Continuing Education Provider/Sponsor status with professional organizations including APA and NBCC. Each licensee should check our detailed CE information page and ensure courses taken meet their specific state board requirements.