Trauma & Nutrition in Therapy

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Faculty

Aimie Apigian, MD, MS, MPH Related seminars and products

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Aimie Apigian, MD, MS, MPH, is a double board-certified physician in preventive and addiction medicine, as well as a certified functional medicine practitioner with training in Somatic Experiencing and Instinctual Trauma Response, and a trainer in Relational Trauma Repair. Her recent book, The Biology of Trauma, explores the science.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Aimie Apigian is the owner and CEO of Trauma Healing Accelerated. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Aimie Apigian has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Luis Mojica Related seminars and products

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Luis Mojica is a nutritionist and the founder of Holistic Life Navigation, a company that helps people learn what their cravings are telling them about their unmet needs, as well as how to use food as a form of therapy to recover from stress, trauma, and addiction. He works internationally, offering webinars, podcasts, courses and retreats. He’s the author of Food Therapy.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Luis Mojica has an employment relationship with Holistic Life Navigation, LLC. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Luis Mojica is an author and presenter with Psychotherapy Therapy Networker. He is a member of Somatic Experiencing International.

 

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Objectives

1. Identify appropriate methods for assessing the markers of adrenaline response in a clinical setting.
2. Categorize common foods and food behaviors as stimulants, depressants, and balancers, demonstrating awareness of their impact on the nervous system
3. Implement a step-by-step approach for guiding a client out of a functional free response during session.
4. Apply titrating and pacing techniques to help clients safely engage with emotionally charged sensations without inducing retraumatization.
5. Demonstrate how to use internal “parts” language to facilitate nutritional decision-making in clinical practice.

Outline

The Biology of Cravings: Understanding Your Client's Internal Pharmacy

•  Adrenaline vs. cortisol: Why we've been focusing on the wrong stress hormone
•  The window of activation: Mapping when food becomes self-medication
•  Live demonstration: Reading cravings as nervous system communication
•  Case examples: Coffee, sugar, and carbs as functional freeze breakers

Somatic Nutrition in Practice: Tools for Non-Nutritionist Therapists

•  The Sociometry of cravings: Interactive group mapping exercise
•  Three-category framework: Stimulants, depressants, and balancers in trauma work
•  Glucose-stress tracking: Simple observation techniques for therapists
•  Parts work adaptation: "Meeting the part that binges" demonstration

Clinical Integration: From Theory to Transformation

•  Recognizing the "therapy day latte": What clients' pre-session foods reveal
•  Histamine-trauma connection: Why some clients can't stop snacking
•  Breaking the functional freeze-food cycle without dietary advice
•  Creating safety without shame: Trauma-informed language for food behaviors

Considerations and Conscious Application

•  Limitations of current trauma-nutrition research
•  Scope of practice: Knowing when to refer to medical/nutrition professionals
•  Cultural considerations in food and somatic interventions
•  Potential risks: Avoiding re-traumatization through body-based practices
   

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Case Managers
• Psychologists
• Psychotherapists
• Therapists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Nurses
• Addiction Counselors
• Physicians
• Other Mental Health Professionals

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