A Word About The Ivory Garden Conference on Trauma and Dissociation in Seattle on October 3-5th, 2014

Man, although I have had nothing to do with the planning or setting up with this conference- I am excited about it nonetheless, basically because it will be one of the BEST conferences I have ever attended. The speakers are amazing- and whereas other conferences call upon their own small group of people to speak- Felicity has gone out of her way to gather brilliant individuals who offer a wide array of experiences that really compliment each other. Many of the speakers have a long history of supporting survivors publicly, all who will be bringing their expertise to the table and sharing it with everyone who attends. Of course I have a feeling one of my favorites will be Lynn Crook and her comedy improv on Sunday- as we all know that laughter is the best way to promote healing.

Trauma and dissociation is a part of many of our lives, and this conference is one that I believe will help us deal and heal with our issues of abuse. Dysfunctional childhoods are a part of almost all of our lives- and we all suffer through traumas as we get older- and the roster for this conference is an amazing collection of professionals coming together and sharing their expertise on how we can overcome and prosper despite what we have experienced through life.

Friday will be intense- as Sandra Paulsen will be doing an all day workshop on “Looking through the eyes of Trauma”- sure to interest clinicians and survivors alike. Along with that, in another room- there will be talks on healing through writing, the benefits of having service dogs, and my sis and I will be speaking on the family dynamics of abuse. And this is just Friday!

Saturday will be full of talks concerning healing trauma, what to do when abusive parents and such age and die, and finding our spirituality despite abuse. People such as Gina Vance CLC, CMHT,CCHT, RBT – Marvin Thomas, MSW -Joan Golston DCSW, LICSW- Laura Brown Ph.D. – and Ellie Fields, LPC, LIMHP, CPC will all be bringing their experiences to the table- allowing attendees to have a chance to look within themselves and find their strengths in order to help facilitate healing. Sandra Paulsen will also be speaking again- her speech “Intuition and Spirituality: Guidance on This Side of the Veil” giving us a sense of peace within ourselves. And for those who are interested, there will also be a jewelery making seminar- in order to facilitate the artist within.

Sunday is just as cool as the first two days- as people such as Susan Pease Banitt, LCSW, RYT- David Calof- and Susan Pease Banitt, LCSW, RYT will be presenting, as well as Lynn Crook, M. Ed.- whose improv will certainly be inspiring as well as entertaining. And for those of you who are interested in telling your stories and getting them out to the public, Lisa Pelto will be speaking on how to tell and publish your insights about abuse, living, and healing. The plenary will be conducted by Marvin Thomas, MSW- as he talks about building our own personal villages. As the saying goes- it takes a village to raise a child and we are all children of God. I guarantee Sunday is a day NOT TO BE MISSED!

This conference is BETTER THAN ANYTHING OUT THERE- and Felicity is to be commended for all her hard work in bringing such an interesting and wide array of people together to speak! As her friend- I know that she has suffered some set backs from the survivor community- but I equate that with jealousy- as she has brought forth THE BEST CONFERENCE OF THE YEAR! None of the others that I am aware of even compare to the one being held in October- and I assure you – none of you want to miss this amazing time- as this conference will be one to write home about!

For more information- or to register- (and this conference also is MUCH CHEAPER THAN ALL THE REST), please check out IGDID.org for more information. I assure everyone- it will be well worth your time and money!

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