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Process Grief Safely & Restore The Gut, Breath, and Joy
A 6-week journey beginning March 6 to learn how to process grief in a way that doesn’t overwhelm or consume. Grief and other emotions are stored in and impact the gut. Restore life, breath, and flow back into the body through a guided step-by-step process.
Of all the emotions, GRIEF is the hardest one to feel.
Grief can be overwhelming. Most people choose to numb it in order to cope. Yet when we don’t know how to safely process grief, it gets stuck in the body, biology, and especially our gut.
The changes that happen from grief are the result of the freeze and trauma response in the vagus nerve. Hormones, breathing, digestion, and inflammation are impacted.
When grief goes unaddressed or unprocessed, these changes can cause chronic issues for years, especially in the digestive system.
What are HEART SHOCKS?
Heart shocks are moments where it feels like such a blow to the system that the breath catches. The hits have been too much, too hard. There can be many physiological effects of heart shocks on the body on a cellular level, including slowing of the lymphatic flow, the collapse of the diaphragm, and changes in breathing, digestion, and the vagus nerve.
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What is the Biology of Grief and Heart Shocks Module?
✔️ A 6-week guided journey learning how to safely move through and release grief and heart shocks
✔️ Not only intellectual, this is an experiential journey blending advanced somatic and parts work as well as an in depth understanding of the the biological and physiological factors that accompany grief, and prevent healing.
✔️ 6 weeks of instruction that includes lectures, written chapters, enrichment content, and bonuses.
✔️ Weekly live sessions with Dr. Aimie where she will: 1) lead you through the steps of processing your grief 2) guide you in somatic practice and parts work and 3) teach you all of the important concepts you need to learn to to be able to process the pain of the past and remain open to the possibilities of the future.
✔️ Weekly live meetings where you will ge to: 1) connect with peers, discuss the course content, and deepen your integration of the course material. 2) engage in advanced somatic and parts work in mentor led somatic practice.
✔️ Ongoing access to course materials and session recordings.
This Is The Guided Process; Here Are The Steps
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STEP 1 : Feel Grief Without Overwhelm
We need to learn to be with grief without it overwhelming us. We have to start here. If we don’t start here, as soon as we tap into the grief, it will going to overwhelm us. Learn how to disconnect overwhelm from grief itself so we can be with it, talk about it, and work with it. This will help prevent grief from pushing us into a collapse or freeze that can cause all those downstream effects on the body.
STEP 2 : Feel Grief Without Being Consumed
Learn how to be with grief without it consuming us. We will work heavily with the vagus nerve. We will learn to track and regulate our system in advanced ways through the vagus nerve so we can be with grief and not lose ourselves. We can keep it from consuming us.
STEP 3 : Address Attachment Grief
This step is about childhood grief and attachment pain. How can we go back and heal that attachment grief? We will explore the time when we were wounded, and be with the child or part of us that experienced heart shock in that moment. This is about attachment, but it is not ONLY about early childhood. Whenever and whatever the experience was that caused grief or heart shock, we want to know how to go back and rescue that part. This is about healing the part that got hurt.
STEP 4 : Evaluate Coping Mechanisms
This step is all about coping mechanisms, numbing patterns, and being able to look at why the grief hurts so much. We want to understanding the reason behind the grief so that we can go to the root cause of the pain rather than just working downstream or surface-level with the grief. We will explore understanding: why does this grief hurt so much that I have done anything not to feel it? We will also explore mindful eating.
STEP 5 : Repair What Has Been Stuck
We begin repairing the gut, learning the importance of repairing the lining of the gut and intestinal permeability. We repair our relationship with grief as well. We want to work with the part that might have gotten stuck. What does that part fear will happen if we move on? Is it holding on to something so much that it actually doesn’t want to move on? Is there a part that doesn’t want to repair or face the loss?
STEP 6 : Open Up To Life Again
We have to go through all of the other steps first in order to arrive here. This step is about being able to stand up when grief hits rather than going into collapse and freeze. It’s not that we don’t hurt anymore, it’s that we can remain open while holding the pain, supporting the pain, and connecting with the pain. Because we have done the other steps and laid a foundation, we don’t let grief overwhelm us anymore. We can be with grief without it consuming us. We have brought in other parts: we’ve worked with the early attachment patterns (the pain that has no words); we’ve done the repair. Now we can actually open up to life again. We are able to feel the pain AND stay open. We don’t close up and shut down. What could the future look like if we still honor the past but yet are able to open and stay open to the future?
Who Is This Journey For?
This is for professionals who:
- Seek to develop a more nuanced understanding of the impact of trauma on individuals, families, and communities, and desire to incorporate this knowledge into their work.
- Recognize the interconnectedness of all facets of well-being, and are interested in learning about how trauma affects not only mental health but also physical health, relationships, and overall quality of life.
- Want to build confidence and competence in incorporating trauma work and the Biology of Trauma™ principles into their professional scope.
- Have awareness that the roadblocks that people experience in their health and mental health require an integrative and multifaceted approach.
- Are interested in gaining new knowledge and tools to safely guide others through their trauma process, which always involves grief.
What Professionals Are Saying About The Biology of Trauma™...
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“…I noticed myself being able to be present, much more present and open-hearted, and feel comfortable with my most severely attachment-injured patients.’
– Anastasia Sky, Physician
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“…grief is not something I have gotten much education around or personal processing around so I’m in it for like, all of it. I’m so excited.“
– Meredith Alger, Licensed Clinical Social Worker
“What I was excited about was the way that Dr. Aimie presents material… it’s not just theory, it’s mind, it’s body, it’s heart, very gentle, and titrated really well, but also goes really deep.”
– Christina Wiseman, Psychologist
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The Impact Of Unaddressed Grief & Heart Shocks:
Vagus Nerve &
Gut Issues
When we look at what should be holding up the heart, it's the diaphragm. What makes the diaphragm go weak and collapse? The gut. Gut inflammation and digestive problems can all be symptoms of unaddressed grief and vagus nerve dysregulation.
Shallow
Breathing
When there's grief and a heart shock, there's been a twisting of the gut. It feels painful for the breath to go down into the belly like it should. It hurts to breathe into that pain; it hurts to breathe into that knife in the gut. Grief shuts down the breath, leaving the heart stuck in its grief.
Vagus Nerve & Coping Mechanisms
Grief and vagus nerve dysregulation can lead to developing coping mechanisms, such as hunched shoulders, emotional eating, gaining weight, or losing weight. People can withdraw and isolate or develop unhealthy relationships.
What Is The Solution?
People need to safely feel it to heal it.
Open Up To The Beauty Of Life Again
LEARN HOW TO:
- Bring movement back into the breath and body
- Clear out inflammation
- Restore the flow and tone of the diaphragm
- Heal the Biology of trauma that keeps people stuck in grief
- Process grief in a way that doesn’t overwhelm or consume
- Stay open to life without shutting down due to grief
- Regulate the vagus nerve and digestive patterns
- Restore life and flow back into the body through a guided six-step process
This is the 6-week journey, step by step:
Gain the knowledge and tools to know exactly where to begin with grief and heart shocks.
- Definition of Grief and Grieving
- The Neurobiology of Grief
- The 3 Dimensions of Grieving
- Time
- Space
- Attachment
- Grief Disorders
- Adjustment Disorder
- Complicated Grief
- Major Depressive Disorder with Bereavement
- PTSD
- Heart Shock
- Definition
- Broken Heart Syndrome
- Betrayal Syndrome
- A Vision For Grief And What Is Possible
- Integrated Process For Remapping
- Honoring What Was Important
- Working With Freeze Response
- What is intuition
- The anatomy of of the vague nerve
- The anatomy of the enteric nervous system
- The gut-brain connection
- Influences on intuition
- Infections
- Microbiome
- Inflammation
- The Significance of Constipation
- Interoception, Attachment, Neurodevelopment, and Intuition
- Roadmap To A Healthy Vagus Nerve and Intuition
- Interoception
- Interoception and Social Connection
- Loneliness is dysregulated interoception
- Interoception and Attachment
- Attunement
- Interoception and Social Connection
- Attachment Disruptions and Intuition
- Neurodevelopment and Intuition
- Our Relationship With Food
- Control
- Perfectionism
- Shame
- When Food Is A Coping Mechanism
- Vagus Nerve Dysregulation
- Trauma Eating Pattern
- Overeating
- Undereating
- The Practice of Mindful Nurture and Nourishment
- Our Relationship With Food
- Stress And The Gut
- Digestive System Health
- Digestive System Stress and Trauma
- Short-Term Stress On The Gut
- Effects of Chronic Stress
- Food Sensitivities
- A change in your gut bacteria during times of stress
- Gut communicates danger to the brain
- Stress And Sugar Cravings
- Good Gut Health In Times Of Stress
- The Fundamentals of Sensitivity
- The Biology of Sensitivity
- The different types of sensitivities
- Recognizing Sensitivities
- Curious questions to be asked
- Common Physical Findings, Biochemistry and Attachment
- Challenges
- State and Capacity for Social Engagement
- Story
- Codependency
- Steps
- Tools For Empaths and Wounded Healers
- Nature and Water
- Space
- Sleep
- Somatic Practice
- Biology
- Diet
What does each week involve?
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Schedule of Live Sessions
Although live attendance is recommended, it is optional. These sessions are recorded for you to review at your convenience.
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Live Class Time With Dr. Aimie
- Mon, March 6, at 1 pm PST
- Mon, March 13, at 1 pm PST
- Mon, March 20, at 1 pm PST
- Mon, March 27. at 1 pm PST
- Mon, April 3, at 1 pm PST
- Mon, April 10, at 1 pm PST
These sessions are 45 to 60 minutes where Dr. Aimie will do a combination of teaching and guided somatic and parts work.
Study Sessions
- Wed, March 8, 9 am OR 3 pm PST
- Wed, March 15, 9 am OR 3 pm PST
- Wed, March 22, 9 am OR 3 pm PST
- Wed, March 29, 9 am OR 3 pm PST
- Wed, April 5, 9 am OR 3 pm PST
- Wed, April 12, 9 am OR 3 pm PST
These sessions are 25 minutes where you’ll get focused time to review course materials and engage in group discussion.
Note: You can attend either the 9 am session OR the 3 pm session as the content and meeting agenda are the same!
Group Somatic Sessions
- Wed, March 8, 9:30 am or 3:30 pm PST
- Wed, March 15, 9:30 am or 3:30 pm PST
- Wed, March 22, 9:30 am or 3:30 pm PST
- Wed, March 29, 9:30 am or 3:30 pm PST
- Wed, April 5, 9:30 am or 3:30 pm PST
- Wed, April 12, 9:30 am or 3:30 pm PST
These sessions are 25 minutes where you will be guided by a mentor through your somatic and parts work.
Note: You can attend either the 9:30 am session OR the 3:30 pm session as the content and meeting agenda are the same! Attendance is optional.
Live Wrap-up Fireside with Dr. Aimie
- Fri, March 10,10 am PST
- Fri, March 17, 2 pm PST
- Fri, March 24, 10 am PST
- Fri, March 31, 2 pm PST
- Fri, April 7, 10 am PST
- Fri, April 14, 2 pm PST
These sessions are approximately 60 minutes where Dr. Aimie will be teaching and doing a wrap-up of all the material learned that week.
Implementation Meeting
- Sat, April 15, 10 am or 4 pm PST
This session is approximately 60 minutes where you will discuss and learn ways to implement the course concepts into you professional work. You will only need to attend one of the two sessions times to complete the course requirements.
Final Oral Exam
- Wed, April 19, 8 am or 4 pm PST
This session is approximately 60 minutes where you will role play with a colleague and practice integration of the course concepts. You will only need to attend one of the two sessions times to complete the course requirements.
The Value & Cost of This Journey
Be guided on a journey into a place we have been scared to go to ourselves. Be safely led beyond your freeze response. Join a community where all are working on the same thing. Where you are not alone. A community where you can elevate your patterns.
6-Week Comprehensive Journey
Join Dr. Aimie and the group on the path to freedom and energy.
$1000 value
6 Chapter Topics
Each chapter/topic is valued at $250. (Curriculum and Lecture)
$250 x 6 = $1500 value
Live Somatic Sessions
To bring further integration and experience into your own trauma work through advanced somatic and parts work.
$600 value
Live Teaching Sessions with Dr. Aimie
A weekly group session where Dr. Aimie will be teaching and doing a wrap-up of all the material learned that week.
$900 value
Weekly Study Groups
Focused time to study during online scheduled study groups.
$1000 value
On-going Access
Your access to this course continues after this module is over!
Invaluable
Guest Speaker
Lori Montry
Date: Tuesday, March 28th at 9 am PST
Topic: Mindful Intuitive Eating
“Lori Montry is a trauma-informed, eating psychology coach who helps people overcome their unwanted patterns with food by using a wide range of modalities including somatic experiencing and parts work. Using these modalities, Lori help’s people reestablish a sense of safety and resiliency in the nervous system as a necessary foundation for any transformation.
Lori believes that one of the most powerful resources we possess is our innate body wisdom and guiding people toward that connection is one of the most important aspects of her practice. Love and compassion are the cornerstones of her work with all people.“
The Change That Is Possible with The Biology of Trauma...
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“…grief has always been such an overwhelming emotion for me…and I can see this really working and changing lives and being manageable.
…I just want to learn everything I can about it and to be present to experience grief and not fall down. That is huge. That’s so hopeful.”
– Debbie
“It was a huge change for me; I’ve been seeing so many practitioners and therapists and physical therapists and bodyworkers, and I’ve always been all over the place. With Dr. Aimie’s talk today… I felt like I’m home…”
– Roberta Holstein
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“What’s awesome about this class is that she (Dr. Aimie) gave you such a cutting edge information that you don’t learn it from medical school and nursing school. This is so interesting, and you can apply this knowledge to treat the patient right away.
Wow. This is a game changer for me and for my patients.”
– Sutida Majarone
It was just so easily integrated, I didn’t have to try hard to make sure I was getting that material in. And I think that really speaks to how you’ve taught it to us as well.
For me it felt like I could just be more confident in being myself. I didn’t have to work hard at the material.
– Brandi Mackenzie
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Who Is This Journey NOT For?
This journey is not for those who don’t like to work in a collaborative group environment, who have taken other online learning courses and don’t enjoy the online learning.
This journey is not for those who don’t have 4-6 hours weekly to invest in your growth and for those who need a lot of one-one support or are looking for individualized coaching or therapy.
Your Biology of Trauma™ Instructor, Dr. Aimie Apigian
Dr. Aimie is a double Board-Certified medical physician who specializes in trauma, attachment, addictions and addressing trauma on a cellular level. She earned her medical degree at Loma Linda University and has a Masters in Biochemistry as well as a Masters in Public Health. She trained for three years as a general surgeon before changing her career path.
In addition to her medical studies, Dr. Aimie has studied with and participated in Dr. Allan Schore’s Attachment Regulation Theory Study Group. She is a highly-trained somatic experiencing practitioner, trained in NeuroAffective Touch™, Internal Family Systems (Parts Work) and the Instinctual Trauma Response Model™. She continues to attend advanced trainings in Somatic Experiencing™ with Dr. Peter Levine and acts as an editor for Somatic Experiencing International.
She is not one to sit back and talk about problems. She is a solution-focused action taker- always looking for ways to improve our current method and accelerate the healing journey back to our best health and our best selves.
Frequently Asked Questions:
A: If you do not feel that you would benefit from additional course work that is associated with this certificate training, such as completing homework, weekly quizzes and final exam, the Take Charge of my Trauma Track may be a better fit for you. The Take Charge of my Trauma Track offers all of the same course materials and live events but does not include a certificate of completion and therefore does not require homework, quizzes or exam completion.
A: If having a designation as a Biology of Trauma Professional would bring you value to your work, you feel that this could help you build more trust with you clients/patient, we would recommend the Professional Certificate Training track. Additionally, If you would like to continue become eligible to enroll in the Advanced Professional Training Track which focuses more on applying the principles of the Biology of Trauma to your professional work, we strongly recommend the Professional Certificate track.
If you decide that the professional training certificate would not be of value to you. You can register for the “Take Charge of My Trauma” track.
A: You are enrolling in the Grief and Heart Shocks Module of The Biology of Trauma™ Professional Certificate Training.
This is a 6-week course that includes pre-recorded lectures by Dr. Aimie as well as downloadable course materials.
In order to receive a certificate of completion, you will need to complete the required assignments, including weekly quizzes, homework and a final written and oral exam.
A: The estimated time is 5-7 hours per week for the 6 weeks of this course.
This includes the total time commitment between reading, watching the video lectures, going through bonus materials and attending the live training/wrap-up sessions.
There will be homework due each week. Homework should take approximately 20-30 minutes to be done well.
There are additional meetings and an exam during the 6th week, The estimated time during this 6th week is 6-9 hours.
A: Each of the 6 modules stands on its own.
The 21 Day Journey to Calm Aliveness course is the pre-requisite for taking any of the 6 modules of the Biology of Trauma™ course.
After you have taken the 21 Day Journey, you can take the modules in any order you like. Please note that you don’t have to take all of the modules! You can just take one and there is no commitment to take another one. However, if you would like to be eligible to take the Advanced Professional Certificate Training and learn more about how to implement what you have learned in the Biology of Trauma™ modules, you should plan to take all 6 modules. We encourage you to do what is best for you and your professional practice!
A: See “Schedule of Live Session” Section above for the dates and times of the meetings with Dr. Aimie and the study groups.
Disclaimer: This is not a course that gives you a license as a provider nor is it a health or trauma recovery coach credentialing program. At the completion of each module, you will receive a Certificate of Completion indicating you have achieved competency on that specific topic of Biology of Trauma™. At the completion of all 6 modules of the Certificate Course, you will receive a certification as a Biology of Trauma™ Professional from Trauma Healing Accelerated. This is a certification that you will be adding to your professional work capacities.
You are still held to the restrictions, responsibilities and privileges of your primary license and board.
Medical Disclosure: The information and programs presented on or through this website are made available to equip you with knowledge and tools. All the materials in this course are intended for educational purposes. This information nor any programs that are offered are (nor are a substitute for) medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For any physical or mental health issues, I recommend you work with a qualified health provider who will also support your desire to address the effects of trauma.
