Guest Speaker Catherine Allen Trauma, Healing, & The Mountains

​Catherine Allen, Somatic Experiencing Therapist, says: My interest in trauma, from the physical aspect, was sparked when I trained as a Registered Nurse and worked in various hospitals and the Arctic for 24 years. Soon after graduation from nursing, I trained as a Rolfer (Structural Integration), which supports physical manipulation and movement education to allow the body to be at ease in gravity. Often, a poor posture occurs when a person adapts to physical or emotional management to avoid pain or discomfort. I later began to study Somatic Experiencing, to explore how trauma affects the nervous system and supports the body to survive, long after the experience has passed. A trauma symptom may seem to be a negative trait, but may really be a coping mechanism that kept you alive.

As I journeyed through my own life, I was exposed to adventures in the outdoors that occasionally had negative effects, from decision-making to witnessing a small avalanche my husband was caught in. I noticed when I was in more of my threat response system, I was unable to access healthy decision-making. This supported my work to become a counsellor, and I facilitated the first Mountain Muskox Mentorship Program (MMMP) chapter in Revelstoke. I currently run my practice, Balance and Renewal Therapy, from Revelstoke, B.C.

Trauma, Healing and the Mountains will discuss a somatic (body-based) perspective on trauma and healing, a bit about Catherine's work with the MMMP, and facilitating healing for those of us who want to use our experiences especially in wild landscapes.
Overview of a healthy nervous system and when it gets caught in survival modes of freeze & threat.
Supportive ways to notice the body and bring it back to regulation.
Adaptable ways to use this work in any field of work.
The interactive presentation will be followed by a time for questions and answers.