12 steps for people with no obvious addiction

Workshop 

Exploring how early childhood trauma therapy can work in conjunction with the 12 Steps 

The workshop has two main aims. First to promote the idea that early childhood trauma is at the root of most adult pathologies. Second to promote the idea of combining neuroscience informed, developmental, trauma-based psychotherapy, with the format of 12 step programs.

We believe this combination provides optimal conditions for recovery from the dissociative adaption to early-trauma disorders, and builds on the work of The ACES research, Stephen Porges, Bessel van der Kolk, Onno van der Hart and many others. Informed by existing 12 Step Programs, such as ACCA and NACOA we have developed a revised 12 Step Program to work alongside therapy or supervision. The idea is to complement one-to-one psychotherapy with a parallel structure of 12 Step groups for those who at an early age chose a dissociative adaption to ease their pain.

Alongside the revised 12 steps, we present our clinically tested views on early childhood development, early childhood trauma and dissociative adaptions.  We will discuss how this new practical approach to healing early childhood trauma can be structured, rolled out and made accessible to those without addictions, but in need of something similar to the ongoing and relational aspects of 12 Steps programs.

Groups can vary in structure, but typically begin with a short reading from the 12 Step literature; followed by a space for sharing anything arising from working the revised 12 Steps; followed in turn by sharing experiences of the life problems of the dissociatively adapted. As this adaption is less tangible than addiction and more likely to provoke people-pleasing and ‘fitting-in’, it is more difficult for dissociatives than for addicts to hit ‘rock bottom’, all the more reason to shine more light on this inner world of post-traumatic dysfunction and stress.

The workshop will consider:

1. the circular model of the 12 steps

2. secular concepts of the higher power

3. a lifetime of recovery from early childhood trauma

4. variants of structural dissociation

5. potential space, psychological birth, developmental narcissism

Along with experiential learning, you will come away from this workshop with clinically-based ideas about neuroscience, and early trauma, early trauma-based approaches to psychotherapy, and new perspectives on psychotherapy and 12 Step Programs. We hope some of you will be as excited as we are by the potential for such groups, and will leave this workshop motivated to promote, or perhaps even to set up such a group in your local area.

Cost: £90

Date: Saturday September 10th 2022 [9.30am – 4.30pm]

Venue: Coram Life Education, 41 Brunswick Square London WC1N 1AZ

Inquiries: 07889161634

Booking: Email admin@ci-charity.org.uk 07963 738 813

Counselling Initiatives

Offering low cost, Open Ended Counselling to People on Low Incomes, for over 20 years.

Registered Charity No: 1082706. Company No: 3798882