CBD 2024: Dissociation, Mindfulness, and Securefulness: Not Me, Me, and Us with Christine Forner, MSW, RSW

Dissociation, in all of its iterations, is an innate, emergency cascade defense akin to playing dead. It is an automatic reaction to real and perceived threat. Dissociation is connected to a plethora of biomechanical and neurobiological responses that can lead to a person feeling like parts of their life and experiences are not theirs – a “not me” experience. Mindfulness, too, is an innate reaction that requires practice, resulting in states and traits where a person feels more connected to themselves – a “this is me” experience. What is being proposed is that mindfulness is so much more than an individual skill. It is better understood as a human trait connected to a protective, adapted defense of safe and secure attachment within large groups. Securefulness is defined as a cluster of mindfulness-based attachment and relational foundational proficiencies that are part of our evolution as a species – a “this is us” experience. Christine Forner is also presenting a lecture titled Dissociation in the World of Mindfulness on Nov. 1.  You are welcome to attend both or one of these two Summit sesisons taught by Christine Forner.

Christine Forner, MSW, RSW, has over thirty-five years of experience in applying her specialties in traumatic dissociation and developmental trauma in work with individuals who have been inflicted with traumatic stress because of coercive control, domestic violence, sexual violence, and neglect. Christine is the foremost expert on the relationship between dissociation and mindfulness and how these two areas of human functioning inform us of the role that misogyny and the patriarchy play in the origination and perpetuation of complex trauma, dissociation, and the many layers of psychopathy. Christine is the author of Dissociation, Mindfulness and Creative Meditations: Trauma informed practices to facilitate growth (Routledge, 2017). She is also co-founder of concepts of Securefulness, Primal Isolation Anguish and Inside the Fire Circle. She was the President of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation in 2019. Obtaining degrees in both Women’s Studies and Social Work, Christine also trained in EMDR and Havening and is certified in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Christine teaches nationally and internationally on dissociation and complex trauma. Her other passion is doing half and full-distance triathlons.

CBD 2024: Dissociation, Mindfulness, and Securefulness: Not Me, Me, and Us with Christine Forner, MSW, RSW is part of the FREE Contemplation by Design Summit, Oct. 23 – Nov. 3, 2024.

The full summit schedule is posted at: https://med.stanford.edu/contemplation/summit.html.

Registration opens Sept. 19, 2024.