What is Trauma-Informed Plant Medicine Facilitation?
Working with sacred plant medicines (PM) can present enormous psycho-spiritual challenges. Many come to heal and process traumatic experiences through plant medicines, however, very few plant medicine facilitators, support workers, and integration therapists have training in the foundation and neuroscience of trauma approaches, and most do not know how to respond effectively to the various trauma imprints that arise before, during and after the ceremonial space.
Plant Medicines have an enormous power to activate the body, psyche, and spirit, releasing that which has been trapped in the unconscious into the light of awareness. However, this often happens in ceremonial spaces in a way that happens too fast or too intensely, and repercussions could be re-traumatizing and even damaging. It requires a great deal of courage, experience, and bravery to navigate skillfully through the process, and, unfortunately, many are trauma survivors who do not have the inner resilience or the skills to do so.
Similarly, PM facilitators can also feel overwhelmed with a lack of resources and a grounded understanding of what to do when various trauma imprints arise, which could be harmful and neglectful to participants.
As PM facilitators, we have an ethical duty of both responsibility and care to the participant's health and wellbeing, both before, during, and after the ceremonial experience. In doing so, it is fundamental to upskill our understanding of trauma and the nervous system and learn the best practices to respond effectively to the signs and symptoms of trauma when it arises.
In this 3 Module Training Program, led by Somatic Trauma Specialist & #1 Bestselling International author Atira Tan (M.A, SEP, TEDx Speaker & Ph.D. candidate), you will learn:
MODULE 1: TRAUMA-INFORMED FACILITATION SKILLS IN CEREMONY
31st March - 3rd April 2023
4 pm - 10 pm CEST/ 10 am - 4 pm EST (Times subject to change)
You will receive:
* 5 recorded video sessions which you will get to keep.
* 18 hours of big group conferencing. The Live Zoom workshops will be recorded and you have 1 year of access for those who cannot attend the online workshops.
* Your PDF manual.
* Access to our private Trauma-Informed Plant Medicine Online Community on Mighty Networks.
MODULE 2: TRAUMA-INFORMED ASSESSMENTS, SCREENING, AND SOMATIC INTENTION SETTING.
22nd + 23rd April 2023
4 pm - 10 pm CEST/ 10 am - 4 pm EST (Times subject to change)
You will receive:
* 2 recorded video lectures which you will get to keep.
* 10 hours of big group conferencing. The Live Zoom workshops will be recorded and you have 1 year of access for those who cannot attend the online workshops.
* Your PDF manual.
* Access to our private Trauma-Informed Plant Medicine Online Community on Mighty Networks.
Where: Online and Virtual
Dates: 22nd + 23rd April 2023
Full Cost: $395 USD.
* Pre-requisite for Mod 2 is the completion of Mod 1.
MODULE 3: TRAUMA-INFORMED PRE-CEREMONY & INTRO TO SOMATIC INTEGRATION.
20th + 21st May 2023
4 pm - 10 pm CEST/ 10 am - 4 pm EST (Times subject to change)
You will receive:
* 2 recorded video sessions which you will get to keep.
* 10 hours of big group conferencing. The Live Zoom workshops will be recorded and you have 1 year of access for those who cannot attend the online workshops.
* Your PDF manual.
* Access to our private Trauma-Informed Plant Medicine Online Community on Mighty Networks.
Where: Online and Virtual
Dates: 20th + 21st May 2023
Full Cost: $395 USD.
* Pre-requisite for Mod 3 is the completion of Mod 1.
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Where: Online and Virtual
Mod 1: 31st March - 3rd April 2023
Mod 2: 22nd + 23rd April 2023
Mod 3: 20th + 21st May 2023
Time: 4 pm - 10 pm CEST/ 10 am - 4 pm EST (Times subject to change)
To read our full curriculum, please visit www.atiratan.com
AYA Healing Retreats:
AYA Healing Retreats offer sacred plant medicine and teacher plan retreats with Peruvian shamans in the heart of the Amazon jungle. We are passionate about fusing indigenous wisdom with contemporary approaches to healing trauma to create safer and more integrated spaces of healing for each person. For more information, please visit: www.ayahealingretreats.com
Your Facilitator, Atira Tan:
A TEDx speaker, activist, somatic trauma specialist, #1 Best Selling Author, and yoga teacher & group facilitator, Atira Tan, is a powerful agent of transformation and change. She has touched the lives of thousands of women, men, and children around the world, supporting them through her 15 years of experience in various somatic and creative trauma recovery approaches. Passionate about creating safer spaces for everybody, and bringing healing and awareness in the “shadowy” areas of life, Atira has worked as a trauma-informed integration specialist in retreat centers such as the Temple of the Way of Light and is currently the head of integration at AYA Healing Retreats.
Atira has mapped the trauma recovery of hundreds of PM participants in her private practice as an integration trauma specialist and co-facilitates Trauma-informed and Somatic Experiencing Plant Medicine retreats and dietas in Peru with AYA Healing Retreats.
She possesses an MA in Art Therapy, has a background in Transpersonal Art Therapy and Holistic Counselling, and is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, amongst decades of training in various other trauma-informed approaches such as EMDR and NMT.
Atira has also worked for over a decade internationally in community organizations and international development as a consultant, clinician, and supervisor, as well as an educator in non-for-profit settings. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the European Graduate School in Switzerland, researching the effectiveness of somatic and creative trauma recovery interventions for sex-trafficked survivors in Asia.
The CEO and Founder of an Australian charity which supports the recovery of child sex slaves, Atira has also initiated international women’s health, art therapy, and trauma-informed programs for women and girls who have experienced sex slavery and exploitation internationally for the past 15 years. In 2018, Atira was instrumental in co-creating and delivering the first and only Somatic Experiencing and Counselling Fundamentals Program for Sex Trafficked Survivors, endorsed by the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute (SETI).
Atira teaches workshops, retreats & teacher trainings in 4 continents around the globe including Australia, Europe, Asia, and South America. She specializes in supporting women, men, and children, particularly those who have experienced sexual abuse to recover from trauma, in groups & individually in her private practice and international development settings as a trauma specialist through the embodied somatic psychologies and other holistic approaches. For more information, please visit www.atiratan.com
Testimonials:
"Wow!! Thank you so much Atira!!!!! I just want to say thank you for holding space for such an incredible informational experience in this Trauma-Informed Plant Medicine Workshop. I feel that I have SO many resources now to draw upon now.
You are filled with experience and hold such beautiful. vibrant energy that is powerful, but also open and level with the people you work within such a way that it is easy to feel safe, and seen in your presence! True magic!"
– Molly Moon
Grandmother Facilitator, Isreal.
"This TIPM workshop’s deep dive into the realms of living impeccable service was nothing short of life-changing.
I remembered so much about the nervous system, about my life, about my purpose, about the bridges between paradigms, and the collective trauma on the Earth. I was deeply warmed, inspired, challenged, and excited by the entire experience.
Atira transmits genuine, care, curiosity, understanding, and expertise. She is devoted to providing safe spaces for people to heal and her life’s work is testimony to her wisdom and character.
If you’re curious to learn about the nature of trauma and how to access and support its healing potential, this body of work is well worth opening your heart and mind to."
– Melanie Gunn
Naturopath and Transpersonal Art Therapist, Australia
"I’m super grateful for this unique program. Atira’s extensive knowledge on the subject of trauma and working within the PM context has been immensely beneficial. I’ve gained a deeper sense of how to hold the container of healing, which in turn, opens doors for journeyers to be met with more compassion, understanding, and safety to move through their process.
This program is essential for anyone supporting or facilitating PM ceremonies and the process of preparation and integration."
– Simone McKay
Somah Journeys Founder, Canada
"I just came out of the 1st Trauma-informed Plant Medicine Facilitation online training with Atira Tan from Aya Healing Retreats and wow!!
I cannot recommend this training enough for anyone working in the PM space – whether you are pouring medicine, a supporter/facilitator, a pre or post-ceremonial integration specialist, or even a student of the plants.
In fact, I feel that this should be a basic foundational training (alongside 1st Aid) for all healers and support staff.
As the medicine continues to gain momentum in its spread across the globe- we are beginning to see and hear more and more stories of harm from its unskilful use, the lack of quality screening and preparation beforehand, the lack of integration support afterward, and/or the limited understanding of trauma activation and re-traumatization during retreats and ceremonies.
I feel that, in addition to traditional training, this community would benefit hugely from having facilitators and spaces rooted in a basic understanding of the nervous system and how to work skillfully with trauma survivors (and of course, how to work with our own trauma when it shows up in these spaces).
I personally feel that Atira is an excellent bridge and guide into the intersectional realms of plant medicine and trauma therapy."
– Skye Cielita Flor
Wilderness Therapist, South Africa
"My mind and heart are in deep amazement and gratitude as I apply all that I learned in the Trauma-Informed Plant Medicine workshop.
Now more than ever, the world is in need of people who have the ability to listen and hold open space, as the entire human population is currently undergoing a traumatic event. This course is filled with gems of how to meet and support those who are intensely impacted by trauma at any stage of life. I highly recommend this course/workshop, not only to those who are interested in the relationship between trauma and plant medicine but anyone who is curious about understanding human relational patterns to self and society.
Atira shares in-depth knowledge and expertise of trauma studies while offering takeaways that are applicable for ceremonies, friendships, and even for common conversations during the COVID time. Atira and Elio’s work is much needed in the world.
– Betty Gottwald
Photographer & Kambo Facilitator, USA.
"If you are ready to engage in serious trauma healing work, Atira is the practitioner to go for. Her own genuine humanness consistently lived and embodied, and her outstandingly compassionate nature create a strong and safe therapeutic container that cannot be surpassed.
After a search for decades for the right trauma therapist, all thumbs up for her, as the healing and transformation, I’ve been looking for has finally become real!"
– Jessica Bertram
Eco-Tour Guide, Germany.
MODULE 2: TRAUMA-INFORMED PRE-CEREMONY SCREENING, ASSESSMENT & PREPARATION
22nd - 23rd April 2023
* Completion of Mod 1 required
Please note that deposits are non-refundable and tickets are non-transferable. Please read our Terms and Conditions before booking. Your booking is confirmation that you have read and agree to our terms and conditions.
MODULE 3: TRAUMA-INFORMED POST-CEREMONY & SOMATIC INTEGRATION COACHING & THERAPEUTIC SUPPORT
20th & 21st May 2023
* Completion of Mod 1 required
Please note that deposits are non-refundable and tickets are non-transferable. Please read our Terms and Conditions before booking. Your booking is confirmation that you have read and agree to our terms and conditions.