NeuroAffective Developmental Psychology (NADP)

The purpose of this training is to let participants establish a foundational under-standing of neuroaffective developmental psychology in psychotherapy, and begin to integrate neuroaffective assessment and treatment strategies in their professions.

Bridging later decades of brain research with theories of developmental psychology gives us new insight into personality formation. When massive misattunements occur, the organism becomes vulnerable to stress and posttraumatic disorders. In the psychotherapeutic dialogue it is vital to asses the level of competence in the personality to gear interventions to the proximal zone of development. Using the didactic concept of the triune brain and a theory of adult development of mentalizing skills, the training will offer a map to assess psychobiological developmental resources and weaknesses, and strategies and methods to address them.

The first module will focus on the general theory of brain and personality development, and the dynamics of autonomic (sensory), limbic (emotional) and neocortical (thinking) interaction. It will teach how relationship forms and the central importance of now-moments.

The second module will focus on limbic-emotional and autonomic-autoregulatory levels of contact, interaction and regulation. We will explore the structures of developmental movement and contact interventions as well as train the sense of pacing, flow and now-moments in sessions.

The third module will focus on the different levels of mentalization belonging to the later development of the neocortex, and the ways that human beings organize meaning and purpose in life and in the world. We will also look at ways that our wonderful mental ability can lead to problems, and what to do about them.

Each training week will offer theory lectures, demonstration therapy, peer training, peer exercises, discussion and supervision to integrate the neuroaffective concepts in the work of the participants. There will be homework assignments between trainings.