Psychological Trauma in the Age of Coronavirus

About the conference

The study of trauma has been the single most fertile area to help us develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between the emotional, cognitive, social and biological forces that shape human development. This knowledge has particular relevance for how we currently are able to help people and systems cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), early disturbances in the security of the attachment system (“Developmental Trauma”), have major influence on how children and adults react and cope in multiple dimensions: expectations & perceptions, bodily experiences and biological responses.

In a myriad of ways traumatized individuals tend to react to current experiences as a replay of the past and require therapeutic interventions that do not depend exclusively on drugs, talk or understanding. This conference will present both basic research about the effects of trauma and attachment disruptions on the developing mind and brain, and offer a range of effective interventions that can be applied in clinical settings, including communities, clinics, schools, prisons, and families around the world.