Presentation by Lee Cartwright to the Grief Program at Southwestern College, Santa Fe in 2018.

 

What is trauma: An event(s) that so overwhelms the person’s capacity to respond that it resets the nervous system to experience the event(s) as an on-going reality.

 

Lee explains why we can’t just focus on the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems when working with trauma, why we also have to include the enteric nervous system. The enteric nervous system, which is often called the second brain, helps us connect with our gut feelings and gut level awareness that provides the inspiration to take appropriate risks. Lee also includes and explains the importance of the two parts of the parasympathetic nervous system: the myelinated and the unmyelinated as described by Stephen Porges.

 

The main topics of the presentation:

1. Basic Trauma Theory.

2. What happens neurologically when someone is traumatized.

3. What the discharge (release) of trauma looks like.

4. Why trauma symptoms are so often self-perpetuating,.

5. Implications of the biological model of trauma for therapy.

 

Lee Cartwright, MA, a Southwestern College of Santa Fe alum, helped clients resolve physical, emotional and spiritual traumas in his Santa Fe practice. His therapeutic strategies are dedicated to reconnecting/reigniting the inherent healing resources of the body/psyche. With over 30 years of teaching experience, Lee’s workshops were informative, entertaining and focused on attendees gaining real-life skills.