Working with Preverbal Trauma: Tracking, Action, and Agency

led by Presented by Pat Ogden, PhD; Jennifer Gardner, MSW, LICSW, CST
Date: May 11, 2026
Time: 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm EST
Location: Live, Zoom, Must Register

In this video analysis, selected segments of a clinical session are examined to highlight specific interventions, illustrate the underlying method, and clarify clinical decision-making in practice. This session demonstrates key Sensorimotor Psychotherapy® interventions for working with early, preverbal trauma and somatic symptoms, including tracking moment-to-moment body experience and using physical action and grounding interventions. The therapist supports the emergence and completion of defensive actions (bracing and pushing), facilitating a shift from the experience of disorganized sensation to embodied agency. The excerpt also highlights the integration of relational attunement and verbal meaning-making, showing how experiences missing in infancy can be provided through the therapeutic relationship.