The Relational Wound is a 10-week advanced EMDR training for licensed clinicians who have completed EMDRIA-Approved Basic EMDR Training and are currently working with attachment-wounded, complex, and dissociative clients on their caseloads. The training deepens clinical skill at the intersection of attachment theory, complex post-traumatic stress, and dissociation. Its central thesis is that attachment wounding is the origin of these conditions, and EMDR is one of the most powerful tools available to treat it. The training is delivered across ten two-hour sessions. Weeks 1 through 5 establish the conceptual foundation: attachment theory, neurobiology, complex PTSD, dissociation, and mentalization. Weeks 6 through 10 apply that foundation clinically. Assessment and case conceptualization, extended Phase 2 preparation (including Resource Development and Installation, CIPOS, and parts-aware preparation), reprocessing modifications for attachment-wounded and dissociative clients, navigation of roadblocks and dissociation during reprocessing, and integration across the long arc of treatment. By the end of the training, participants will have a coherent framework and clinical toolkit for working with attachment-wounded, complex, and dissociative clients.
Learning Objectives
Week 1: Attachment Theory and Its Clinical Relevance
Articulate the core principles of attachment theory and their developmental origins
Differentiate among secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized attachment styles
Identify attachment patterns through client language, narrative, and nonverbal behavior
Understand the AAI framework and its relevance to EMDR clinical history-taking
Week 2: Neurobiology of Attachment and Trauma
Describe how early attachment relationships shape brain development, including the HPA axis, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala
Explain the role of right-brain development in emotional regulation and its disruption under trauma
Connect specific attachment styles to dominant autonomic nervous system states using Schore and Porges
Articulate the neurobiological rationale for somatic and relational interventions in EMDR treatment
Week 3: Complex Trauma, C-PTSD, Developmental Trauma, and the Relational Matrix
Differentiate complex PTSD from classic PTSD across symptom clusters, developmental context, and relational impact
Describe the ICD-11 diagnostic framework for C-PTSD and its clinical implications for EMDR treatment planning
Identify how early relational trauma shapes identity, affect regulation, and relational templates
Recognize complex trauma presentations in existing caseloads and adjust EMDR approach accordingly
Week 4: Dissociation, Structure, Spectrum, and Clinical Recognition
Explain the Theory of Structural Dissociation of the Personality and its relevance to EMDR with complex trauma
Describe the dissociative spectrum from everyday detachment to full structural dissociation
Recognize dissociative presentations in session, including subtle and masked forms
Understand the relationship between disorganized attachment and dissociative coping
Apply Knipe's AIP-informed framework for conceptualizing dissociation within EMDR
Week 5: Mentalization, Epistemic Trust, and the Therapeutic Relationship
Define mentalization and reflective functioning and explain their role in secure attachment and trauma recovery
Understand epistemic trust and its disruption in developmental trauma, and its implications for EMDR
Apply mentalizing principles to the EMDR therapeutic relationship across all eight phases
Recognize and respond therapeutically to non-mentalizing states in session
Attend to therapist self-of-therapist material as a clinical and ethical responsibility
Week 6: Assessment, Case Conceptualization, and Target Sequencing
Conduct an attachment- and trauma-informed clinical history using AAI-inspired questions within EMDR Phase 1
Integrate dissociative assessment into standard EMDR Phase 1 history-taking using structured measures and clinical interview
Develop an EMDR case conceptualization that holds attachment, C-PTSD, and dissociation simultaneously
Sequence EMDR targets appropriately for complex presentations, including when to delay reprocessing
Week 7: Phase 2 Expanded, Stabilization, Resourcing, and Dissociation-Informed Preparation
Implement Resource Development and Installation (RDI) adapted for complex and dissociative presentations
Apply CIPOS and orientation-based stabilization approaches within EMDR Phase 2
Recognize when a client needs extended Phase 2 work and navigate that clinically and relationally
Use parts-aware and dissociation-informed preparation strategies before EMDR reprocessing begins
Week 8: Reprocessing Complex and Attachment-Based Trauma
Select and sequence attachment-based EMDR targets for complex presentations
Apply EMDR protocol modifications appropriate for attachment-wounded and dissociative clients
Address self-defeating and compulsive behaviors as attachment-driven symptom presentations within EMDR
Use cognitive interweaving effectively for attachment-related looping and stuck cognitions during EMDR desensitization
Week 9: Roadblocks, Looping, and Dissociation During Reprocessing
Identify common roadblocks in EMDR reprocessing with complex and dissociative presentations
Recognize dissociative switching and EP activation occurring mid-reprocessing
Apply advanced EMDR strategies including pendulation, fractionation, and CIPOS when processing stalls
Work within the structural dissociation model to navigate EP and ANP dynamics during active EMDR reprocessing
Week 10: Integration, Identity, and the Long Arc of Healing
Describe what integration means for EMDR clients with complex trauma and dissociative presentations, beyond symptom reduction
Apply EMDR Phase 8 reevaluation with attention to attachment consolidation and identity development
Use the EMDR future template protocol thoughtfully with attachment-wounded and complex trauma clients
Articulate the relational demands of this clinical work and develop a sustainable self-care framework for EMDR therapists
Lectures are held from 4-6 pm ET on zoom (dates below):
Week 1: Attachment Theory and Its Clinical Relevance (November 5, 2026)
Week 2: Neurobiology of Attachment and Trauma (November 12, 2026)
Week 3: Complex Trauma, C-PTSD, Developmental Trauma, and the Relational Matrix (November 19, 2026)
Week 4: Dissociation, Structure, Spectrum, and Clinical Recognition (December 3, 2026)
Week 5: Mentalization, Epistemic Trust, and the Therapeutic Relationship (December 10, 2026)
Week 6: Assessment, Case Conceptualization, and Target Sequencing (December 17, 2026)
Week 7: Phase 2 Expanded, Stabilization, Resourcing, and Dissociation-Informed Preparation (January 7, 2027)
Week 8: Reprocessing Complex and Attachment-Based Trauma (January 28, 2027)
Week 9: Roadblocks, Looping, and Dissociation During Reprocessing (February 4, 2027)
Week 10: Integration, Identity, and the Long Arc of Healing (February 11, 2027)
Early bird: $800 (through mid-September 2026) Standard: $900 (mid-September through October 15, 2026) Late: $1,000 (October 15 through October 30, 2026) MCTS members, early-career therapists (within the first five years of licensure), and therapists working in nonprofit settings each receive 15% off any tier. Discounts do not stack. To claim your discount, email [email protected] for a code before registering; Payment plan available
Regular price
Payment Plan
This training provides 20 clinical continuing education credits / 20 contact hours. To receive a certificate of completion and full CE credit, participants must attend all ten live sessions in their entirety, participate in the interactive components, and complete the course evaluation.
Interactivity: This is a live, interactive training delivered via Zoom. Participant interaction is ensured through real-time discussion, question-and-answer, case conceptualization, and clinical application exercises throughout each session.
Attendance: Attendance at each of the ten live sessions is verified via the Zoom platform (individual join/leave records). CE credit requires live attendance; full CE credit (20 credits) requires attendance at all ten live sessions. Recorded viewing does not substitute for live attendance.
Certificate delivery: Certificates of completion are issued electronically through the Thinkific platform after attendance at all live sessions and completion of the course evaluation have been verified.
This program is open only to clinicians who have completed an EMDRIA-Approved Basic EMDR Training. Please note that this training is not an EMDR Basic Training. It is recommended that participants have completed full EMDR Basic Training and have experience using EMDR with this client population before applying this material. Attendees who are only partially trained in EMDR are not eligible to receive EMDRIA Credits.
Manhattan Center for Trauma Studies, ACE Provider #2256, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 7/9/2026–7/9/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 20 clinical continuing education credits.
ASWB ACE approval is accepted by most, but not all, jurisdictions. Social workers are responsible for confirming that their regulatory board accepts ACE-approved continuing education. ACE approval is not accepted in New York or New Jersey; New York social workers are covered under the New York State approval listed below.
The Manhattan Center for Trauma Studies is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0832. The Manhattan Center for Trauma Studies is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0282. The Manhattan Center for Trauma Studies is recognized by the New York State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0349. This training provides 20 contact hours to licensed social workers, psychologists, and mental health counselors.
This training is approved for 20 EMDRIA Credits. A certificate for EMDRIA credits is included in the price of the training (Approval # 22025-36). The Manhattan Center for Trauma Studies (EC Provider #22025) maintains responsibility for this program and its content in accordance with EMDRIA requirements.
Pria Alpern, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, an EMDRIA-approved EMDR therapist, and an EMDRIA-approved consultant. She is the founder of the Manhattan Center for Trauma Studies and director of Center Psychology Group in New York City, a psychotherapy practice specializing in the treatment of trauma in adult and perinatal populations. She has been quoted in The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and Glamour UK.
ADA Assistance: Workshops provided by the Manhattan Center for Trauma Studies are ADA compliant. If you are in need of assistance, please contact us at [email protected].
Audio/Video Disclosure: This program will be audio and video recorded for the provider's internal quality-assurance and recordkeeping purposes. Recordings are not distributed to participants, and CE credit is based on live attendance only.
Grievance Policy: We strive to create a training experience that enhances the clinical skills of participants while maintaining the highest degree of integrity and respecting the diversity of all. If you are dissatisfied with your experience, please contact us in writing at [email protected]. You will receive a reply within 5–10 business days.
Registration Deadline: Registration closes October 30, 2026.
Cancellation & Refunds: A full refund minus a 5% processing fee is available if cancelling prior to two weeks before the training start date (October 22, 2026). After that date, no refund will be available. Payment plan participants who cancel after Session 3 forfeit their second payment.