Together we can navigate the terrain of trauma
Created for people living with trauma, stress and anxiety as well as the people supporting them on their healing journey, 'How do people heal from trauma?' safely guides you through this essential terrain in a way that is informed, accessible, and caring.
"A gem of a find"
I came across this at the right time for me and what a gem of a find it has been. I found the pre-retreat reflective questions really helpful for clarifying my hopes and expectations. The bite size chapters helped me to pace myself and there was balance and variety in the exercises which has help me to test out ways of grounding.
Frances
"Extremely engaging"
The personal experience and hard-earned wisdom on display in this course is evident. The interweaving of theoretical knowledge with Dr Burrowes' personal warmth makes for an extremely engaging and thought-provoking experience. Thank you again.
Luke
OUT Spoken Community Development Co-ordinator
"I've recommended it to anyone who will listen!"
It's been a few weeks since I completed this course and it's difficult to overstate how impactful it has been. I keep coming back to things it covered as I navigate a period of significant change and growth in my life. The course introduces complex concepts in an accessible way, is packed full of useful tools for your own healing journey and to use when supporting others, and these parts are woven together with threads of compassion and warmth. I've recommended it to anyone who will listen! Thank you so much for creating this.
Geraldine
In moments of crisis our need for resources, skills and supportive relationships can be painfully obvious. But the work of building our mental health is done outside of those high-pressure moments. Our efforts to heal from our past or improve our ability to cope with our future are best served when we gradually grow the knowledge, skills, practices and relationships that can be there for us in the moment.
Join psychologist Dr Nina Burrowes for this pre-recorded learning retreat. Watch at your own pace as she shares essential knowledge and practices to support your journey.
What is trauma?
We experience trauma when we encounter something that is overwhelming. Something that we don't have the internal or external resources to meet, overcome, process and integrate into our lives. In our modern high stress world we are all living with trauma. Trauma from our past experiences, the trauma of living through a global pandemic, and unhealed trauma that has been passed down to us from previous generations. Our unhealed trauma is expressed in our sense of safety in the world, our ability to connect with others, our ability to focus and be creative, and through physical ailments caused by the ongoing stress we hold in our bodies. Trauma can take different forms but no matter what form it takes it is possible to heal from it.
Understanding trauma is an essential step in the healing process. When we understand our struggles we can use that information to help us navigate our healing journey.
Created for people living with trauma, stress and anxiety as well as the people supporting them on their healing journey 'How do people heal from trauma?' will safely guide you through this essential terrain in a way that is informed, accessible, and caring.
Why an online retreat?
An online retreat is an accessible way for us to share this knowledge of trauma that will empower so many people, like you, and support your healing journeys. You can work through the material in the comfort of your own space, going at your own pace and taking time when you need it to reflect and digest the information. Whilst we recommend you do this retreat over the course of 2 days, you can also fit it around your own schedule. If you ever feel like you need to revisit the material, it will be there to support you.
Who is this retreat for?
Created for people living with trauma, stress and anxiety as well as the people supporting them on their healing journey 'How do people heal from trauma?' will safely guide you through this essential terrain in a way that is informed, accessible, and caring.
Join Nina to begin your healing journey
Our founder Dr Nina Burrowes is a psychologist and nationally recognised expert on the psychology of sexual harassment, sexual violence and domestic abuse. A regular educator of police officers, prosecutors, barristers, judges, therapists, healthcare professionals and university staff Dr Burrowes is the author of two books on sexual abuse and the presenter of the BBC’s ‘Rape on trail. Is the jury out?’
Nina is Patron of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre.
Frequently asked questions
Who is this content for?
This content has been created for people living with the impact of any kind of stress, anxiety or trauma; therapists, support workers, mental health first aiders and any other type of professional working to support people with their mental wellbeing; and friends, partners, or family members who want to be able to support someone in their life. We all need to understand the same information, whether that is for our own healing journey, or to help us as we accompany others. 'How do people heal from trauma?' gives us a shared understanding and a shared language for this work.
Is any of the content triggering?
At The Consent Collective we centre our work on sexual harm and relationship abuse. We imagine that a lot of people enrolling on this retreat will have personal experiences or professional interests in these issues. However, this particular retreat is a generic retreat about trauma of all forms and focuses on what trauma is, how it impacts people, and what a healing process looks like. None of the retreat is about the causes of trauma. There are no descriptions or accounts of harm. It's all about the impact of trauma and how to heal.
Why is it called a learning retreat, is it a live event?
All of the content is pre-recorded and there are no live elements to this retreat. However, we're inviting you to approach the material with a clear intention to engage with it meaningfully. To go through the practices. To think about when and where you go through the material just as you would if you were on a live retreat.
Is the content in-depth enough for experienced therapists?
Yes. Part of our philosophy at The Consent Collective is to make content that is normally created for trauma professionals available and accessible for people living with trauma. 'How do people heal from trauma?' has been designed as a learning tool for therapists who are trauma specialists, but created in a way that will also be accessible to their clients.
Will I get a CPD certificate if I'm doing this for work?
Yes. You will be able to download an 8 hour non-accredited CPD certificate.
Do I need to be in therapy?
In order to do this online learning retreat safely and get the most out of it you need to be resourced and grounded enough to sit with the material. For some people that may mean they need the support of a therapist, but for many people that will simply mean they need to just go through the content carefully and slowly. When you register for the course you will have at least a year to complete the material and you can always ask for a refund if it's not a good fit for you.
Will this interfere with my therapy?
If this content has any impact on your therapy it will most likely be a positive one rather than an interference. But if you are concerned about how it may impact your therapy talk to your therapist about the course and have a conversation with them about whether it might be a good fit for you at this point in time.
How long will I have access to the material for?
You will have access to the material indefinitely. You are welcome to go at your own pace through the material, pausing and re-watching as often as you like. If you are here for your work then our suggestion is that you complete the material over a 2-day period, spending 4 hours each day on the material.
We think this online retreat will help lots of people but if it's not a good fit for you simply stop watching, email us at [email protected] and we'll refund and unenroll you.
The retreat
- Lesson: Understanding your amazing autonomic nervous system (25:27)
- Worksheet: Me and my autonomic nervous system (Part 1)
- Lesson: Understanding what happens as a consequence of trauma (35:34)
- Worksheet: Me and my autonomic nervous system (Part 2)
- Practice: Make your playlist
- Lesson: Understanding the context of trauma and healing (6:29)
- Practice: Checking our pockets
- Cooking show: Fishcakes and digesting the learning so far (36:45)
- Lesson: Safety (22:18)
- Practice: A simple grounding exercise
- Practice: Love your body
- Practice: Sound healing
- Lesson: Integration (18:00)
- Practice: Thank you wise guardian
- Practice: Shake it off
- Lesson: Accompaniment (16:49)
- Practice: Welcoming others
- Lesson: Trust (6:14)
- Practice: Leave a message
- Lesson: Disconfirming experiences (8:58)
- Practice: Colour meditation
- Practice: Wash it off
- Lesson: Practice (14:01)
- Practice: Build your toolkit
- Completion certificate