Developmental Trauma Training Institute

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Developmental Trauma Training Institute We equip professionals with the skills to recognize and treat trauma.

We envision a world where children, adults, families & communities can access effective treatment and support healing from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) and truly thrive.

Your client says, “I don’t know.”But does the next step need to be another question?We can become so focused on helping ...
10/18/2026

Your client says, “I don’t know.”

But does the next step need to be another question?

We can become so focused on helping someone describe their experience that we leave less room for them to experience it.

A sensation doesn’t have to become a sentence. A client may notice something without knowing what it means—or needing to explain it to us.

For the provider, this offers an opportunity to notice our own response to uncertainty.

Do we feel pressure to make something happen? Does silence start to feel like we’re being ineffective? Are we looking for words to reassure ourselves that the work is moving?

In Brainspotting and Digging Roots, there is room for experience without an ongoing verbal account. Yet even when we understand this, we may still feel the pull to ask, interpret, or seek confirmation.

We might pause and consider:

Can we stay attentive without needing the experience explained?

Can we notice our urge to intervene without immediately acting on it?

Can we allow “I don’t know” to stand without needing to resolve it?

Sometimes the next useful step begins with making room for what hasn’t become clear.

As we look ahead to Digging Roots in Los Angeles, we’re inviting this conversation: How do we stay engaged and curious when we don’t yet know where the work will lead?

What helps you resist the urge to fill the silence?

LA South Bay - Nov 6-8 2026
Link to training in bio - upcoming trainings

One of the hardest things to witness as a therapist is someone working so hard to heal and still struggling with the pai...
10/15/2026

One of the hardest things to witness as a therapist is someone working so hard to heal and still struggling with the pain of what happened.

They’ve talked about it. They’ve gained insight. They’ve begun to understand how their experiences have shaped their lives.

And yet, a familiar situation can still bring overwhelming fear. A memory can carry the same emotional intensity it did years ago. Their reactions can leave them feeling frustrated, confused, or discouraged.

As therapists, we recognize how much courage and effort goes into this work.

We also recognize that understanding an experience and processing its emotional impact aren’t always the same thing.

This is where Brainspotting offers another possibility.

Developed by Dr. David Grand, Brainspotting is based on the principle that where we look affects how we feel.

By identifying specific eye positions connected to emotional and physiological activation, Brainspotting offers a focused way to work with distressing experiences that can be difficult to access through conversation alone.

And an important part of this work is the relationship itself. The therapist’s attunement, responsiveness, and ability to follow the client’s process are central to the Brainspotting approach.

For clients, this offers another avenue for exploring what continues to hurt, without having to find words for every part of their experience.

Because sometimes the next step in healing isn’t understanding more. It’s having another way to process what remains.

We’re bringing Brainspotting Phase 1 to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with Steve Sawyer!

This three-day, in-person training introduces therapists to the foundational techniques of Brainspotting through clinical education, demonstrations, and experiential learning.

October 23–25, 2026
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
21 NAADAC CEs

Swipe through to explore how Brainspotting works and what it can offer your clients.

Ready to learn Brainspotting?

Register here:
https://www.eventzilla.net/e/brainspotting-phase-one–inperson–souix-falls-sd-2138672549

10/14/2026

Do you have clients in your clinical practice for whom the basic Brainspotting frameworks sometimes seem insufficient?

Behind these difficulties may be developmental or relational trauma - experiences that can deeply shape the nervous system, internal models of relationships, and a person’s sense of self and others.

We invite you to Digging Roots, the first training of its kind in Europe, open to Brainspotting therapists from across Europe.

The training will be led by Steve Sawyer, LCSW, CSAC, the founder of Developmental Trauma Training Institute, who adapted Brainspotting specifically for working with clients affected by developmental trauma. His Digging Roots approach expands the use of Brainspotting to address the complex patterns that emerge from early relational experiences and developmental wounding.

This is not just a 3-day workshop, but a comprehensive training program designed to support deeper learning and integration. It includes:

🔴 pre-training study and preparation
🔴 video learning materials
🔴 a 3-day in-person training in Warsaw, Poland

During the program, you will explore how Brainspotting can be adapted and applied when working with developmental trauma, attachment-related patterns, dysregulation, shame, and challenges connected with embodiment.

📍 Location: Warsaw, Poland - in person
📅 Date: 16-18 April 2027
👤 Trainer: Steve Sawyer, LCSW, CSAC

Registration is now open! Link in the comments 👇

10/13/2026

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline, and it doesn’t look the same for everyone.

In today’s Facebook Live, Steve Sawyer explored grief as a journey that can take us through numbness, sadness, confusion, and eventually even self-forgiveness.

Sometimes we expect ourselves to be further along. To have moved through something by now. And when we haven’t, we begin questioning ourselves.

But grief isn’t something we have to get right. There isn’t a deadline for understanding what we’ve lost, how it’s changed us, or what we need along the way.

There is room for all of it, including the time it takes.

Join Steve for this meaningful conversation about grief, self-compassion, and allowing our experiences to unfold without adding judgment to what we’re already carrying.

10/12/2026

San Diego, what an incredible three days!

Every Digging Roots training reminds us that the people in the room are just as important as the material we bring.

The conversations, the questions, the willingness to explore something more deeply, and the connections that develop along the way are what make these trainings so meaningful.

This weekend was a beautiful reminder of what happens when we come together with a shared commitment to understanding developmental trauma and expanding how we support the people we work with.

A special thank you to Maureen Donohue, who assisted throughout the training, and Beverly Fuentes, who generously hosted and sponsored this event. We are incredibly grateful for the time, care, and support you brought to making this experience possible.

And to everyone who joined us in San Diego, thank you! Your openness, curiosity, and contributions are what bring Digging Roots to life.

We leave San Diego inspired by the people, the connections, and the work that continues long after the training ends.

Shame can leave us feeling like there’s something wrong with us, something we need to hide, or something that somehow ma...
10/10/2026

Shame can leave us feeling like there’s something wrong with us, something we need to hide, or something that somehow makes us less worthy.

And shame doesn’t always look the way we expect.

Sometimes it looks like perfectionism, withdrawing from relationships, questioning ourselves, or working incredibly hard to avoid being judged.

Sometimes we’ve lived with it for so long that we don’t even recognize it as shame.

And the shame we carry isn’t necessarily ours to own. What we’ve experienced, how we’ve been treated, and the messages we’ve received can shape what we come to believe about ourselves.

That’s why talking about shame is so important. Not because we need to share everything, but because understanding it creates an opportunity to look at how it’s shaped our relationships, our choices, and how we see ourselves.

What if we could begin looking at shame without adding more shame to the experience?

Working with high-acuity clients can bring clinical questions that don’t always have straightforward answers.If you’re c...
10/09/2026

Working with high-acuity clients can bring clinical questions that don’t always have straightforward answers.

If you’re curious about how High Acuity Care Brainspotting approaches complex clinical presentations, we’d love to have you join us!

FREE Online Introduction + Q&A TONIGHT!

Join Steve Sawyer and Jeff Ryan to explore the approach, learn about the online training, and bring your questions.

Tonight, October 9 | 6:30 PM Pacific
Free | Live Online

10/07/2026

What if the client isn’t bringing you a new issue — but another expression of the same developmental pattern?

If you’ve been practicing Brainspotting for a while, you’ve probably seen it: the presenting issue changes, but something familiar keeps showing up underneath.

Digging Roots was developed specifically for Brainspotting practitioners working with developmental trauma. It brings together a developmental trauma framework with specific Brainspotting techniques to help recognize recurring patterns and work more intentionally with what may be organizing beneath the presenting issue.
Link to these upcoming trainings in bio!

10/06/2026

Feeling like everyone else has figured out time except you?

Losing hours in hyperfocus. Struggling to shift gears.

Today Steve Sawyer talked about ADHD, time management, hyperfocus — and how understanding these patterns can help decrease shame.

Sometimes a little more understanding can change the way we see ourselves.

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Bend, OR
97702

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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