After a two year hiatus from in-person conferences, ISSTD was thrilled to bring together more than 200 people in Seattle for our first hybrid conference, Post-Traumatic Growth in a Dissociative World. In addition to the 200 in-person attendees, more than 100 people joined the event online from around the world.
The conference started on Thursday and Friday with pre-conference workshops. These two days of pre-conference workshops concluded with our new Opening Reception on Friday evening where attendees were able to catch up with fellow attendees and meet our amazing exhibitors. The Opening Reception also featured an art exhibit from Signed, X which showcased the stories of survivors of sexual assault.
Kicking off the Main Conference on Saturday was our first plenary with Julian Ford and Christine Courtois who discussed the complexities and crises in the treatment of complex dissociative traumatic stress disorders. The opening plenary followed by a number of 90 Minute and Three Hour workshops to round out the day of education. On Saturday evening, we recognized our newest fellows and award winners at the Annual Awards Reception. Congratulations to all of our winners!
Sunday began with Morning Mindful Movement led by ISSTD President Lisa Danylchuk. The Sunday plenary address by Robert Muller entitled “When Opening up Is Growthful: Lessons from the Trauma Therapy Relationship” discussed his research on the therapeutic relationship. Sunday concluded with the Annual ISSTD Business Meeting where the Executive Committee discussed the achievements of the previous year and took questions from members.
The conference concluded on Sunday with a plenary from Lauren Lebois entitled “Dissociative Identity Disorder: Historical Controversy Meets Modern Neuroscience.” Post-conference workshops on attachment, self-care and art therapy, along with both in-person and virtual Consultation Clinics drew the conference to a close.
Throughout the conference a number of social events occurred including meetings of a number of SIGs, our Coffee Tasting event with Major Cohen to raise money for the Goodwin Fund, and a meet-up for our students and emerging professionals. A raffle sponsored by the Fundraising Committee to raise funds for the Caul and Goodwin Funds raised more than $1700 due to the generosity of our attendees.
Below please find a number of photos from the conference that were provide by Adithy that showcase all that this year’s conference had to offer. We hope to see everyone in Louisville, KY in 2023!
