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Rebuilding Inner Permission After Trauma

Date

Friday, February 27, 2026

Time

05:30 PM Australia/Sydney

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A lack of choice is one of the defining elements of a traumatic event, often leaving individuals feeling powerless and disconnected from their own sense of agency. This webinar explores how Neuroception, a concept introduced by Stephen Porges, shapes our unconscious assessment of safety and threat, profoundly influencing the therapeutic process. By understanding and supporting the nervous system’s ability to detect safety, clinicians can help clients regain access to choice, enabling them to respond rather than react, and to engage in effective, intentional action. This shift—from discomfort, hypervigilance, or immobilization toward safety, presence, and comfort—aligns with principles highlighted by Emerson and van der Kolk. Restoring choice is not just a cognitive or behavioral intervention; it is a fundamental step in helping clients reclaim their inner authority and sense of self. For those who have experienced complex trauma, facilitating this reconnection with agency can be deeply healing and transformative.

"No intervention that takes power away from the survivor can possibly foster her recovery, no matter how much it appears to be in her immediate best interest” (Herman, 1992)"

Shirley Hicks

Shirley empowers clinicians to meet clients with safety, sensitivity, and the deep nervous-system attunement that trauma recovery requires. Her work centres on creating healing experiences—somatically, cognitively, and relationally—so survivors can move toward stability without being retraumatised in the process.

With over three decades of somatic psychotherapy experience, Shirley’s practice is anchored in one essential question: “What functional new experience can we co-create in this moment?” She brings profound depth and compassion to her work with survivors of religious and institutional abuse and Victims of Crime, and she loves training clinicians to embody presence as a living part of effective practice.

And when the workday ends, Shirley returns to her creative loves—gardening, singing, cooking, and eating beautiful food (though not all at once!).

Agenda

AGENDA

  1. Lecture & Brief Discussion (60 min) – Learn how Neuroception shapes trauma responses and discover practical strategies to help clients regain choice, move toward presence, and reclaim their sense of agency.