365: Regaining Mindful Attention When The Therapist's Trauma History Is Activated With Dr. John Briere

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! Following up on last week's conversation on therapists and dissociation, this week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C welcomes a guest who is an expert on complex trauma therapy and mindfulness. Dr. John Briere, a trauma and abuse survivor, has spent his 30 year career doing therapy with survivors of torture, sex trafficking and with patients on burn units, as well as research on complex trauma. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, and Senior Advisor to the USC Adolescent Trauma Training Center. He is recipient of the Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Science of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association and the William N. Friedrich Lecturer: Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Child Psychology from the Mayo Clinic. He is author or co-author of over 140 articles and chapters, 15 books, and 9 trauma-related psychological tests.
His recent (2019) book with Guilford Press is Treating risky and compulsive behavior in trauma survivors. In the Buddhist/mindfulness domain, he is co-editor of Mindfulness-oriented interventions for trauma: Integrating contemplative practices (Guilford), and author of three chapters: Mindfulness, insight, and trauma therapy; Working with trauma: Mindfulness and compassion; and When people do bad things: Evil, suffering, and dependent origination. John has been Remote Faculty at the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy since 2013. Resources: - John explains and teaches the REGAIN technique that he and Tara Brach developed as a trauma focused modification of the RAIN technique taught by Tara Brach & Jack Kornfield. - John shares about his own history of trauma and how common it is for therapists to be trauma survivors. - John compassionately describes the 5 clinical dilemmas that often arise in complex trauma therapy which he calls "Reactive Avoidance" strategies: - Self Injury - Dissociation - Substance Abuse - Sexualized Behaviors - Angry/Challenging Behaviors directed toward the therapist - John normalizes these reactions, explaining that the client is not "bad" for acting out, and the therapist is not "bad," for having their own traumatic material arise in response when these dilemmas show up. - John shares how therapists (and clients) can use the REGAIN technique to get back to center when the Reactive Avoidance strategies show themselves. And much more! Find John's trainings, books, including 2 free chapters, articles, etc here: www.johnbriere.com
Want to learn more from John Briere and practice working with these 5 clinical dilemmas discussed in today's episode? Don’t miss his 5-day workshop in Cancun this February! Use
promo code JOHN50 at www.leadingedgecancun.com when you register for his workshop to save 50% on your hotel room when you book it at the same time. That’s a savings of up to $1500! New registrations only.
Other resources from this week's episode: Sign up for FREE to attend Ireen Ninonuevo's summit, Love After Abuse, Finding Safety & Trust in Relationships here. It begins on 1/16/23 and you'll hear my interview, entitled, "The Secret to Fulfilling Relationships is Inside of You," along with 20 other wonderful speakers. Therapists, save 15% when you attend a Level II NARM training in 2023 using coupon code: TraumaTherapist15 at: www.narmtraining.com Find Laura's most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts to help more people find the show!

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Thank you to Innovations in Psychotherapy 2023 in Cancun by Leading Edge Seminars for sponsoring this week's episode! Therapists, meet us in sunny Cancun in February 2023 for a week of training and vacation! Use code LAURA to save 10% on any 5-day workshop fee when purchased with a room at www.leadingedgecancun.com You’ll earn CEs in the morning, then have afternoons for fun at an all-inclusive resort. Workshops by Frank Anderson, Arielle Schwartz, John Briere, and more! Want to learn more from John Briere and practice working with these 5 clinical dilemmas discussed in today's episode? Don’t mi...