Enactive trauma therapy involves an intense cooperation of an injured person (‘patient’) and a coach (‘therapist’). This co-action involves the mutual longing and striving of the two to increase the patient’s power to act. It utilises the patient’s potential to grow and the therapist’s power to support this progression. In this course, we will learn to increase our power to assist our injured fellows. The training fosters active participation: we learn most by doing.

Enactive trauma therapy is a method for treating traumatised people. The practice is based on the theory of trauma-related structural dissociation and the enactive approach to mind and life. The basic idea is that to live takes power to act, that is, power to fulfil our innate longings.

Like all living beings, we primarily long and strive to preserve our existence and to evolve. When we succeed, we feel joy. The more we lack the power to meet harmful worldly powers, the more we experience sorrow. Technically, the idea is that we like all forms of life are inherently embodied and environmentally embedded or ecological systems. We are not situated in a world. We are rather part of our world. We are not primarily mind or matter (e.g., brain), but wholes that include what we experience and know as mind and matter.

To meet destructive worldly powers beyond our power to act (e.g., emotional neglect and rejection, abuse), we may divide ourselves in two or more subsystems as a substitute for integrative strivings we cannot reach. Each of these dissociative subsystems is a partly conscious agent longing and striving to satisfy some of our basic needs. A basic division is between the effort to live daily life—while keeping traumatic affects and memories at bay—and the longing and striving to survive what harms us.

For whom: clinicians
Language: English

Teaching methods: interactive webinars, training, role-play and Q&A Sessions
Participants: 10 - 25 people

We aim to offer a limited amount of people from low-income or war-torn countries access to the course at a reduced fee. We shall communicate this, once this gesture is feasible.

Teaching days & times:
three Fridays and Saturdays from 15h-22h Central European Time which is 9h-17h US East Coast time

Teaching Dates

The live online teaching takes places on six days:

• Friday 28 February with Ellert

• Saturday 1 March with Sina

• Friday 11 April with Sina

• Saturday 12 April with Ellert

• Friday 5 September with Sina

• Saturday 6 September with Ellert
  

Can’t make it to one or more teach days?

Kindly inform Kirande (kirande [at] enijenhuis [dot] nl) when you cannot attend a class. Missing skill practicing hours can be made up with (private/group) supervision. One participant cannot attend day 3 and 4. You can join the supervisions with Ellert and Sina and share the additional costs. 

Promotion: Conference Enactive Trauma Therapy: trauma and attachment
Dive into an exclusive offer designed for clinicians committed to healing trauma patients. Gain all-in access to our online course, an empowering live conference on trauma and attachment, and our supportive eAcademy. This comprehensive package equips you with the skills, knowledge, and support to help your therapy practice.
Standard price: €2390
Promotional price: €1790
Valid till 28 October 2025, limited availability.

Recommended reading
Reading the Trinity of Trauma Volumes I, II and III (the blue book) comes highly recommended. During the course, Ellert and Sina may share articles for you to read.