Sensory Pathways to Healing from Trauma: Harnessing the Brain’s Capacity for Change

Trauma is not only stored in memory: it is embedded in the body’s sensory systems. This clinically focused workshop draws on the pioneering work of Dr. Ruth Lanius, Sherain Harricharan, Breanne Kearney, and Benjamin Pandev-Girard to explore how sensory pathways serve as powerful entry points for healing trauma.

Clinicians will learn how disrupted sensory integration underlies key trauma symptoms such as dissociation, emotional numbing, hyperarousal, and fragmentation of self. Through a blend of neuroscience, case examples, and experiential exercises, participants will discover how to assess sensory dysregulation and apply targeted interventions to restore embodiment and safety. Emphasis will be placed on using mindful attention to sensory experience, somatic attunement, and gentle engagement with the senses to re-establish connection between body, emotion, and cognition.

Practical, evidence-informed techniques will help clinicians support clients in moving from survival-based sensory patterns toward integration, self-awareness, and connection.

Learning Objectives

• Identify how disruptions in sensory processing contribute to trauma-related symptoms and dissociation.
• Apply sensory-based interventions to promote regulation and embodiment in trauma treatment.
• Integrate Lanius, Harricharan, Kearney, and Pandev-Girard’s neurobiological model of sensory pathways into clinical assessment and therapeutic planning.