All articles requesting research participation must be approved by the ISSTD Scientific Committee prior to posting. This proposal was approved by the ISSTD Scientific Committee in May 2021. ISSTD member Negar Fani, Ph.D. is looking for participants for her research study. The study title is “Mechanistic Interventions and Neuroscience of Dissociation” and the purpose of […]
Letter From The President
Creating a Connected and Supportive Community
Dear ISSTD Community, Here in the US, there have been too many recent acts of violence and harm in our community. As a global community we continue to cope with the impacts of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine. In times like these I am constantly reminded of how important it is to organize ourselves […]
News You Can Use
News You Can Use – May 2022
New Picture Book and Treatment Guide for Trauma and Dissociation ISSTD Member, Lindsay Schofield, a consultant psychotherapist practicing in Surrey, England, has launched two inter-linked books which describe trauma-related dissociation in a clear and concise way. Also venturing into new territory, including the voices and endorsements of survivors as well as experts, both books are written […]
Committee to the UN
Knowing and Not Knowing About Climate Change: ISSTD’s UN Committee Participate in Innovative Mental Health Webinar
In February 2022, ISSTD co-sponsored a United Nations affiliated presentation organized by the NGO Committee on Mental Health. Karen Hopenwasser, Co-Chair of the ISSTD UN Committee and Co-Convener of the Trauma Working Group of the NGO Committee on Mental Health organized the event, “Knowing and Not Knowing about the Climate Crisis: Through the Lens of Trauma and Dissociation”. […]
Community Spotlight
EMDR Therapy Training Committee
The EMDR Therapy Training Committee is charged with maintaining/updating ISSTD’s EMDR Therapy Training course, as well as developing new, advanced material. It is also responsible for developing, presenting, and/or coordinating periodic webinars and conference workshops on the specialized use of EMDR therapy with persons with complex trauma and dissociative symptoms. For those not yet familiar […]
Community Spotlight
Virtual and Regional Conference Committee
Happy May ISSTDWorld! Thank you for stopping by to read about what the Virtual and Regional Conference Committee (VRCC) has been up to in its first year! The goal of the VRCC committee is to support the continued growth of ISSTD’s regional and virtual trainings. As a group, this committee includes both ISSTD staff and […]
Clinical Reflections
A Multi-Modal Integrative Approach in Treatment of Children with Complex Trauma & Dissociation
This article will describe a multi-modal and integrative approach combining Art and Animal-Assisted Activities/Interventions, EMDR Phase 2 resourcing, (Shapiro, 1995), The Flash Technique, (Manfield et al., 2016), and Play Therapy with children who have Complex Trauma/Dissociation throughout the Four Phases of Treatment. Many of the techniques can be adapted for use in all phases and […]
Clinical Reflections
Announcing a New Clinical Reflections Feature
ISSTD News is excited to announce the launch this month of a new feature – a Clinical Reflections column which will be published quarterly. This month we kick off with a fascinating article by Michele Yarberry, in which she describes a playful and creative approach to treatment with a traumatized child. I hope this article […]
Special Interest Groups
Organized and Extreme Abuse (OEA) SIG Update
The mission of our SIG is focused on issues related to the etiology, evaluation, and effective treatment of trauma and dissociation in clients reporting histories of organized and extreme abuse. The OEA SIG met at the 2022 ISSTD Annual Conference and 29 of us engaged in a lively conversation. In addition, in the last year […]
Creative Space
Penny Goes to Church on Sunday
Show me a story without lossand one which deals with pride without the cautiousnessof shame. Rich with poverty she could not recall her life before high school. On Sundays the church bellsregistered the pain of the sinners,those blameless children, fondled by cherish leaders,they could not evade the punishment they proposed. In therapy,unfolding the secret of the past,her origami […]