Understanding Dissociation, Mindfulness, and Securefulness with Christine Forner

How We Can Heal

Today on How We Can Heal Podcast, Lisa Danylchuk and Christine Forner break down dissociation, mindfulness, and securefulness. Even before becoming a therapist, Christine had always been exposed to trauma work. As she words it, Christine is someone whose more centered when around other people's challenges. Today, Christine helps us understand what securefulness means, the challenges to mindfulness and dissociation, why she believes mindfulness is our parent brain as humans, and much more.

Dissociation and Mindfulness – Two Different Sides

Christine, during the interview, describes how she's come to realize the polarity of dissociation and mindfulness as two opposing brain and body states. For her, dissociation is both concrete and abstract. The same thing with mindfulness. When a person is dissociative or mindful, either way, they'll experience feeling altered in the beginning. They think differently, hence why they're both in polar states.

Because they're two different points from two parallel extremes, aiming for the other while currently in the opposing state can often create a challenging transition. When a person is dissociated, a therapist suggesting mindfulness as an initial aid to the issue may seem like someone waking up a patient in the middle of open-heart surgery.

About Christine Forner:

Christine Forner, B.A., B.S.W., M.S.W., R.S.W., has over thirty-five years of experience working with individuals with Trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, Traumatic Dissociation, Developmental Trauma, and Dissociative Disorders.

Christine started her career as a public educator for a sexual assault center, moving to a domestic violence center, and eventually was drawn to working at a feminist-based organization that focused on long-term counseling for women at a very low fee. It was here that she began her passion for working with individuals who experience traumatic dissociation.

Starting her own private practice in 2011, she has specialized training in EMDR, Ego State Therapy, Meditation, and Mindfulness for severely traumatized people and is a certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist. Receiving a degree in both Woman's Studies and Social Work, Christine has a unique background that helps individuals understand that much of human suffering is a side effect of an enormous number of traumatic experiences.

Christine teaches locally and at an international level on dissociation, complex trauma, the intersection of dissociation and mindfulness, as well as the role that misogyny and the patriarchy play in the origination and perpetuation of complex trauma dissociation, and the many layers of psychopathy.

Christine has won several Presidential awards, a Mid-Life career award, and is an International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation Fellow. She was the President of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation in 2019, served on the board of the ISSTD since 2010, and was the ISSTD treasurer from 2012 to 2017.

Outline of the episode:

● [03:37] Getting exposed to trauma at the age of 16

● [05:33] My clients taught me how to be a therapist

● [11:59]When and how did Christine get into mindfulness?

● [18:00] When we're in a dissociative state…

● [24:01] What does mindfulness feel like for someone whose extremely dissociative?

● [30:37] Mindfulness is a relational thing
Resources & Articles Mentioned:
https://bit.ly/3y79iSr