Inside your client's brain: neurobiology of depression and trauma
A course for psychologists and psychotherapists
The delicate machinery of the brain is the material link between the physical world and our reality as we experience it.

Psychotherapy alters the clients' subjective reality and behaviour, and the processes behind these changes are hidden as much from the eyes of the therapist as of the client.
Inside your client's brain: neurobiology of depression and trauma
A course for psychologists and psychotherapists
The delicate machinery of the brain is the material link between the physical world and our reality as we experience it.

Psychotherapy alters the clients' subjective reality and behaviour, but the processes behind these changes are hidden as much from the eyes of the therapist as of the client.
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Do you help your clients change their behaviour, thoughts and emotionals states?
Do you aim to keep up-to-date with the scientific basis of psychotherapy?
Do you explain to your clients how the brain works and would like to know more?
In this course we will explore:
• Neurobiological basis of depression and trauma
• How psycotherapy changes the brain
• How to explain these processes in a simple language to your clients, in order to increase confidence and motivation to work.
Six live webinars
(+ recordings permanently accessible)
Help you combine new knowledge with experience
Two games

Help you combine new knowledge with experience
Set of coping cards for clients
"Brain coping cards"
Help to explain to clients what happens in the brain
Six live webinars
(+ recordings permanently accessible)
Help to make complexity intelligible
Two games
Help you combine new knowledge with experience
Set of coping cards for clients
"Brain coping cards"
Help to explain to clients what happens in the brain
White matter of the human brain. (Visualization made by prof. Derek Jones (Cardiff University))
This course was made for you if...
You work with clients with depression and trauma
You don't stop wondering how the 86 billion neurons in our brains create the whole variety of modal behavior
You love deep dives - getting to the core of the problem



Program
Pleasure, motivation and the neural circuitry of anhedonia
Anhedonia is not just a loss of pleasure. We shall review the brain systems that evaluate how good or bad something is, how the brain learns from experience and how it makes predictions about the future. Disruptions of those brain circuits can lead to anhedonia. We shall overview the studies that unravel the brain changes underlying successful psychotherapeutic treatments.
Neurobiology of “malignant sadness”: mood, ruminations and cognitive symptoms

What changes in the brain make a person sad? What kind of malfunctions in a brain network involved in self-perception lead to ruminations? What brain networks are most important for psychotherapy of depression?
Serotonin, neuroplasticity and antidepressants
Antidepressants restore the structure and function of certain brain areas. Their actions are mediated by serotonin. What exactly do they do? Depression is a chronic disorder which requires extended treatment, so how comes ketamine-like substances can profoundly alter a client's mood in just a few hours? We will explore the ways antidepressants increase the effectiveness of behavioral interventions and discover the similarities between antidepressants and physical exercise.
Transforming memories: imagery rescripting, exposure therapy and EMDR
The strength of connection between brain cells can be altered - this is one of the mechanisms of memory. As new experiences alter the strength of connections, previously unassociated groups of brain cells become a single ensemble. Recollecting past events makes that memory changeable, malleable. But in which circumstances? Can one erase memory? We'll talk about memory formation and transformation in the context of traumatic memories and techniques used to work with them - imagery rescripting techniques, EMDR and exposure therapy.
Neurobiology of trauma
In this lecture, we will focus on psychological trauma in adulthood and childhood. We will explore what brain networks are implicated in trauma and and continue the conversation about the treatment mechanisms of traumatherapy.



Dissociation
Dissociation is one of the least understood phenomena related to the mysteries of personality and consciousness. In this lecture, we will explore what is known about the neurobiology of dissociation.
Pleasure, motivation and the neural circuitry of anhedonia
Anhedonia is not just a loss of pleasure. We shall review the brain systems that evaluate how good or bad something is, how the brain learns from experience and how it makes predictions about the future. Disruptions of those brain circuits can lead to anhedonia. We shall overview the studies that unravel the brain changes underlying successful psychotherapeutic treatments.
Neurobiology of “malignant sadness”: mood, ruminations and cognitive symptoms
What changes in the brain make a person sad? What kind of malfunctions in a brain network involved in self-perception lead to ruminations? What brain networks are most important for psychotherapy of depression?
Serotonin, neuroplasticity and antidepressants
Antidepressants restore the structure and function of certain brain areas. Their actions are mediated by serotonin. What exactly do they do? Depression is a chronic disorder which requires extended treatment, so how comes ketamine-like substances can profoundly alter a client's mood in just a few hours? We will explore the ways antidepressants increase the effectiveness of behavioral interventions and discover the similarities between antidepressants and physical exercise.
Transforming memories: imagery rescripting, exposure therapy and EMDR
The strength of connection between brain cells can be altered - this is one of the mechanisms of memory. As new experiences alter the strength of connections, previously unassociated groups of brain cells become a single ensemble. Recollecting past events makes that memory changeable, malleable. But in which circumstances? Can one erase memory? We'll talk about memory formation and transformation in the context of traumatic memories and techniques used to work with them - imagery rescripting techniques, EMDR and exposure therapy.
Neurobiology of trauma
In this lecture, we will focus on psychological trauma in adulthood and childhood. We will explore what brain networks are implicated in trauma and and continue the conversation about the treatment mechanisms of traumatherapy.


Dissociation
Dissociation is one of the least understood phenomena related to the mysteries of personality and consciousness. In this lecture, we will explore what is known about the neurobiology of dissociation.

Ekaterina Vinnik, MD, PhD

  • Neurobiologist, MD, PhD in cognitive neuroscience


  • Lecturer at international conferences. 26 performances in Russia, Latvia, England and Portugal over the past 2 years

  • Co-founder of Autoscope, a project that brings together scientists and professionals in the field of personal development with the aim of collaborating with the human side of being a scientist and disseminating science

Since the first years of medical school, neuroscience has been providing the most satisfying answers to Ekaterina's important questions about life, universe and cognition. Brain studies are inseparable from studies of behavior, and studying human behaviour naturally grew into an interest in cognitive technologies and a coaching practice for her.
Ekaterina Vinnik
MD, PhD

  • Neurobiologist, MD, PhD in cognitive neuroscience


  • Lecturer at international conferences. 26 performances in Russia, Latvia, England and Portugal over the past 2 years

  • Co-founder of Autoscope, a project that brings together scientists and professionals in the field of personal development with the aim of collaborating with the human side of being a scientist and disseminating science

Since the first years of medical school, neuroscience has been providing the most satisfying answers to Ekaterina's important questions about life, universe and cognition. Brain studies are inseparable from studies of behavior, and studying human behaviour naturally grew into an interest in cognitive technologies and a coaching practice for her.
Participants of the course receive:
New insights about the brain
Materials for explaining how psychotherapy works on the level of the brain
Brain Coping Cards - cards for clients about the brain and the effects of psychotherapy
Opportunity to reflect on their experience in the light of scientific data
Example of Brain Coping Card
New insights about the brain
Materials for explaining how psychotherapy works on the level of the brain
Brain Coping Cards - cards for clients about the brain and the effects of psychotherapy
Opportunity to reflect on their experience in the light of scientific data
Brain Coping Cards - These are cards are the size of a credit card. On the back, the clients can write down instructions for action.
Reviews
More reviews here
Participation options
Participation options

Attention: these are not separate courses, these are options for participating in the same course :)

Attention: these are not separate courses, these are options for participating in the same course :)
"Karl Wernicke"
Listen
  • Six live lectures online ;
  • Recordings and slides permanently available to participants;
  • Course exercises;
  • Group work: reflections of other participants on their experience in the context of neuroscience bring additional insights;
  • Electronic certificate*
€ 95

Register
"Peter Anokhin"
Systematize
  • Same as " Karl Wernicke" plus:
  • Two sessions in a small group of participants that happen after the main course. The sessions include extra games to review the material of the course and feedback on your exercises of the course.
€ 145
Register
"Paul Pierre Broca"
Tell others
  • Same as "Peter Anokhin" plus:
  • Throughout the course, you can develop neurobiological part of your own course/training/book, relying on the help of the lecturer. To know more about this format see the link below.
€ 308
More information
"Karl Wernicke"
- Listen -
  • Six lectures online;
  • Videos and slides permanently available to participants;
  • Course exercises;
  • Group work: reflections of other participants on their experience in the context of neuroscience bring additional insights;
  • Electronic certificate*
€ 95


Register
"Peter Anokhin"
- Systematize -
  • same as "Wernicke", plus:
  • Two extra sessions in a small group of participants after the main course. They include extra activities to review the material of the course, lecturer's feedback on your exercises of the course.
€ 145
Register
"Paul Pierre Broca"
- Tell others -

same as "Anokhin", plus:

  • Throughout the course, you can develop neurobiological part of your own course/training/book, relying on the help of the lecturer. To know more about this format see the link below.
€ 308
More information
How does the course work?
Webinars
The course takes place on a Facebook group. Every week I will send you a link with a recording and exercises. If you want, you can watch all the seminars at your own pace. Participants can ask questions after watching the webinars, and I will answer them in the group. They will also be able to access recordings of webinars and sessions of answers to questions at any time. Course materials (slides, recordings of webinars, tasks, cards) will remain accessible to participants forever. That includes lectures, games and answers to questions.

Webinars and recordings
The course takes seven weeks. Every week there is a live webinar and then next day I send you a link with a recording and exercises. The course takes place in a private Facebook group. The link will be shared via an email.

Q&A sessions
Participants can ask questions during the webinars. Plus, all the questions submitted during that week will be answered in a separate video. The 7th meeting of the course consists of a game about the brain and psychotherapy (not a quiz, but rather a fun way to review the course material) and a final Q&A session.

Access to the materials: Course materials include slides, recordings of the webinars, tasks, cards for the clients. There is no time limit, the materials remain available in the facebook group.

Dates of the course
15/02/2020 to 05/04/2020

Schedule of the live webinars: every week on a scheduled day, on the same time during work hours. Two weeks before the course I will send a link to select possible times to all the registered participants. The time and day of the week will be selected by the majority of the votes. One and a half weeks before the course onset the dates and times will be published here. Join the course now to be able to cast your vote. The recordings of the webinars will be available to all participants. See here for more info.


Exercises
The exercises help you to connect neuroscience concepts to your own experience so you can take exactly what you need from the course. Most of the participants choose to share their exercises in a group.

Certificates
Certificates can be issued if a participant completed 80% of exercises. For the paper certificate, it will be sent to the participant by mail.

*in the Wernicke option, an assistant will track the exercises done.

Course extras
Throughout the course, participants can create a mini-lecture on a chosen topic. Topics are of participant's choice and can go well beyond the scope of depression and trauma. For example, if you especialize or would like to especialize in working with OCD, during the course you can add materials about neurobiology of OCD to your basic materials. More details

Example of course images can be found here

Learn more about the course here
Frequently asked questions
- When is the start of the next course?
- 15/02/2020

- My background is humanities, not any sort of biology. Would the course suit me?
- Yes. The course was made for people with a background in psychology.

- I'm afraid it will be difficult
- It will be interesting and complex, but clear. No special background knowledge is needed for this course.

- What do the exercises of the course look like?
- The exercises help participants to blend neurobiology with practical experience. There are no quizzes, only thought-provoking questions. Working in a group with other participants provides support, inspiration and food for thought.

- What kind of certificate is given after the completion of the course?
- The certificate of participation is a confirmation that the participant listened to the webinars, completed exercises and thus delved into the details of the course. The certificate is not from any particular institution, it is signed by author of the course. It looks nice on the wall, and reminds of the achievement :)
- I practice a particular form of psychotherapy. Will the course be useful for me?
- Any effective psychotherapy changes the brain. The course sheds light on a wide range of methods, including, but not limited to cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR, IFS and psychodynamic psychotherapy.

- What if I don't like it?
- Within the first week of the course the participants are eligible to full refund (minus f the payment system fee). The materials of the first week of the course will remain with you.

- I am not a psychologist, but I am very interested. Should I join?
- This course is designed for psychologists and psychotherapists, but most of my lectures and courses have been and will continue to be attended by people who are simply interested. From this experience, they also get some benefits for themselves, but perhaps a different course will be better for you.

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