Making Sense of Your Life

“The fantastic news is that if you can make sense of your childhood experiences—especially your relationships with your parents—you can transform your attachment models toward security. The reason this is important is that relationships— with friends, with romantic partners, with present or possible future offspring—will be profoundly enhanced. And you’ll feel better with yourself, too!”   ~Dr. Dan Siegel

• eCourse Description
• About Dan and Lisa
• How This eCourse Works

• What could be more important than understanding your story and how it shapes who you are? Attachment research demonstrates that making sense of your past is the best predictor of your ability to shape your future as a parent. Research shows that when we fail to make sense of our past, we find ourselves reliving and recreating it, essentially having old hurts re-emerge over and over again. We carry around deep wounds, behaviors and beliefs about ourselves from our earliest attachments that unconsciously direct our lives.

  In this eCourse, Drs. Dan Siegel and Lisa Firestone will draw upon the latest neurobiological research, attachment theory and their clinical experience to guide you through the process of creating a coherent narrative in order to make sense of your life. This process can help you resolve old traumas, big and small, so that they no longer haunt you in your life today. When you create a coherent narrative, you actually rewire your brain to cultivate security within yourself and your relationships.

  Through guided writing exercises and integrative activities, you will get to know yourself on a deep level. Additionally, this eCourse will provide you with tools for ongoing growth, so you can better integrate your emotions, heal insecure attachment and flourish in all your relationships. 

  
  This eCourse will:

  • Lead you through a fascinating process of self-discovery
  • Provide a framework for resolving childhood traumas
  • Clarify how childhood attachment patterns may be affecting your life today
  • Explain how you can develop a secure attachment in adulthood
  • Draw upon cutting edge neurobiological research to explain how you can rewire your brain to become more present, secure and empowered in your life today
  • Offer step-by-step guidelines for how to construct a coherent narrative
  • Provide you with tools for better understanding and integrating your emotions

   

  All course materials will be made available online for individuals to take this course at their own pace, including:

  • Video lessons with Drs. Dan Siegel and Lisa Firestone
  • Writing exercises with detailed instructions leading you through the process of writing a coherent narrative
  • Tips for how to revise your narratives to make them more coherent
  • Practices to promote brain integration
  • Exercises to develop more secure attachment 

   

  4 CEUS are available for an additional $20 purchase. Buy 4 CEUS here. 

   

    

• Daniel J. Siegel,M.D. received his medical degree from Harvard University and completed his postgraduate medical education at UCLA with training in pediatrics and child, adolescent and adult psychiatry.  He served as a National Institute of Mental Health Research Fellow at UCLA. Dr. Siegel is currently clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine where he is on the faculty of the Center for Culture, Brain, and Development and the Co-Director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center. An award-winning educator, he is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and recipient of several honorary fellowships. Dr. Siegel is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute. He serves as the Medical Director of the LifeSpan Learning Institute and on the Advisory Board of the Blue School in New York City, which has built its curriculum around Dr. Siegel’s Mindsight approach.

  He is the author of The Developing Mind, Second Edition, published on March 14, 2012,  The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being (Norton, 2007), The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician’s Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration (Norton, 2010), Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology: An Integrative Handbook of the Mind (Norton, 2012), Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation (Bantam, 2010) as well as two parenting books, Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive(Tarcher/Penguin, 2003) with Mary Hartzell, M.Ed. and The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind (Random House, 2011) with Tina Payne Bryson, PhD.

   

  Dr. Lisa Firestone is the Director of Research and Education at The Glendon Association. An accomplished and much requested lecturer, Dr. Firestone speaks at national and international conferences in the areas of couple relations, parenting, and suicide and violence prevention. Dr. Firestone has published numerous professional articles, and most recently was the co-author of Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships(APA Books, 2006), Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice (New Harbinger, 2002),Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion: The Wisdom of Psychotherapy (APA Books, 2003) and The Self Under Siege (Routledge, 2012).

   

   

   

   

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  How much time will the eCourse take?

  The amount of time the eCourse will take varies widely from one person to the next. There will be 3-4 hours of video lesson with Drs. Dan Siegel and Lisa Firestone. As well, as introductory videos for each writing exercise. The writing exercises make up a significant portion of this eCourse. These exercises could take anywhere from two to 10 hours, depending on the amount of time available and how in-depth each participant would like to go. Some people may find it helpful to use certain prompts several times. We encourage all our eCourse participants to go at their own pace and take as much time as they need. 

  Do I have to attend the eCourse at certain times? Are the presentations live?

  This eCourse will not be live. All the course materials will be made available through PsychAlive’s eCourse website. You can log on anytime you choose and watch or rewatch the presentations or go through the exercises at the times that are most convenient to you. 

  Can I begin an eCourse after it has already started?

  Yes, you can begin this eCourse anytime. 

  Is there an interactive element to the course? 

  This eCourse does not have an interactive element. However, we strongly encourage you to take this course as an adjunct to therapy or alongside a friend, so that you may share your experience, emotions and insights as you go through the course. 

  What materials will I need for this eCourse?

  You will need a journal to complete your writing assignments. It is up to you whether you choose to utilize a paper or digital journal. Some of our eCourse participants simply use a Word document as their journal. Make sure whatever form of journal you choose meets your privacy needs. 

  Are Continuing Education credits (CEs) offered for this course?

  Yes, 4 CEs will be offered for this course and can be purchased separately for $20. Purchase 4 CEUs here. 

  I am having trouble accessing my course. What should I do?

  Email us at [email protected] and we will be happy to help you.