Risky Business: Working with Compulsive and Self-Endangering Behaviors in Trauma Survivors

Course overview

Survivors of trauma and early attachment disturbance are at elevated risk of a variety of compulsive and self endangering behaviors, ranging from suicidality and self injury to substance abuse, indiscriminate sexual activities, and binge eating. Dr. Briere presents an innovative, integrated approach to self endangering behavior, the Reactive Avoidance model (RAm). Calling on new research on memory reconsolidation, implicit processing, and revisions to habituation theory, this treatment system directly targets the memory/dysregulation dynamic, with interventions such as emotional regulation training; mindfulness, metacognitive awareness, and emotion surfing procedures; ReGAINing; implicit memory processing; in vivo treatment of implicit memory activations; and harm reduction. A new treatment component, trigger management, increases client autonomy, resilience, and problem-solving. Approaches to three risky behaviors will be presented in detail: self injury, risky sexual behavior, and bingeing and purging. J&K will provide attendees with newly developed worksheets and assessment instruments that organize and inform the treatment process.