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CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF

MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPISTS 

CENTRAL COAST CHAPTER

Central Coast Therapists

To strengthen the Marriage & Family therapy
profession & better serve our Central Coast community.


Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture & Experiential Physiology: Complementary Support for Bodymind Integration

  • Fri, September 24, 2021
  • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • via Zoom on your computer / device
  • 16 registrants

Registration

  • current chapter members
  • current board members
  • general admission cost
  • not current Central Coast Chapter members
Registration is closed

Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture & Experiential Physiology: Complementary Support for Bodymind Integration

Presented by Tomas Mendoza, L.Ac., MSTOM, RN 

This workshop is designed to introduce therapists to a model of working with survivors of traumatic stress that combines Western bio-behavioral and Eastern Medical approaches to understanding the stress response. Foundational concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine will be presented, followed by a discussion of their relation to current understandings of the autonomic nervous system. Further discussion about the nature of the body, body tissues, and organ systems will shed light on the use of touch—or for those unable to do so, in guiding clients to make contact with themselves in supportive ways. Additional information about themes seen in client presentations will explore the use of this system in organizing and making sense of what can sometimes appear to be disparate and unrelated symptoms, which can in turn provide supportive meaning-making for both clinician and client. Guided experiential self-care practices will be offered to assist participants in moving toward a more heightened sense of their own lived bodily experience.

Participants will in turn have new tools to (1) increase their ability to guide clients in exploring the oftentimes uncomfortable or unfamiliar sensations and bodily experiences that can accompany the therapeutic process, and (2) support clients in making sense of the nuanced physiological processes that can accompany/reflect their mental health challenges. 

*Zoom Link to Be Sent To Registrants In Reminder Emails*

    About Our Presenter:

    Tomás is a licensed acupuncturist with a life-long fascination with the workings of the bodymind. Studies in neurobiology, physiology, psychology and philosophy led him to graduate work in Traditional Chinese Medicine. His 20+ years of personal practice in yoga, bodywork, and mindfulness have enriched his exploration of the profound wisdom found at the intersection of the physical and non-physical aspects of what it means to inhabit a body. Additional training in biofeedback, functional medicine, pain management, and the support of trauma survivors has contributed to Tomás’ multimodal approach to integrative mental health. He incorporates acupuncture (or for those who either prefer not to use needles, or for whom needles are not appropriate, mild electric currents) and bodywork, in combination with biofeedback and other sensation/movement-based modalities. Using this exploratory, guided approach, which he calls ‘sensory re-training and experiential physiology’, Tomás treats a variety of systemic conditions, including musculoskeletal trauma and injury, pain, and other somatic manifestations of autonomic nervous system dysregulation that can arise as a consequence of physical injury and psychological traumatic stress. Tomás is also a registered nurse, and has worked in multiple acute-trauma/intensive care hospital environments and community health settings, as well as with terminally-ill hospice patients and their families. Tomás and his wife, Shelley, share an integrative bodymind wellness practice in Morro Bay.
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