Healing the Attachment Wound with God After Spiritual Trauma:
Applying Attachment Theory, Somatic Experiencing, and EMDR
Presenter: Colleen Ramser, M.A., LPC
Thursday, April 16th
6:00 – 8:30 PM ET
Level: Advanced
Enroll Now
To access this webinar, please enroll or login if you are an existing AACC member. Join today to get access to this webinar and more!
Continuing Education
Continuing Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop:
Live: Approved for 2 NBCC and IBCC Credits*
On Demand: Approved for 2 NBCC and IBCC Credits*
CE Statement
Summary
After spiritual abuse, many wounded individuals struggle to connect with God, engage in spiritual practices, or even remain within a church community. Their attachment to God often feels ruptured, unsafe, and disembodied. When spiritual abuse results in spiritual trauma, clients may begin to associate anything related to God with the original harm.
This raises a critical question for providers: what is the clinical roadmap when clients are experiencing a trauma response to their faith? Many clients may desire to restore their relationship with God and the church, yet struggle to find resources that are not retraumatizing.
This session will equip Christian providers to identify symptoms of spiritual trauma, support clients with stabilization and nervous system regulation, and gently restore connection using attachment theory, Somatic Experiencing, and EMDR-informed interventions. Participants will also learn how to develop a personalized plan that honors clients’ pace while fostering safe, ongoing attachment to God.
While this training is accessible to clinicians from a variety of backgrounds, prior training in EMDR is strongly recommended, as many of the concepts and clinical applications discussed assume familiarity with EMDR theory, language, and phases of treatment.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Assess for markers of spiritual trauma, including attachment disruptions, spiritual capacity, and nervous system responses that emerge in clients’ relationship with God and spiritual practices.
- Educate clients about common experiences after spiritual trauma such as spiritual cynicism, a spiritual “dark night,” and decreased spiritual capacity.
- Apply Somatic Experiencing-informed and EMDR techniques to stabilize and support safety, regulation, and readiness before trauma processing.
- Utilize EMDR-informed interventions and Somatic Experiencing-informed techniques to process spiritually rooted trauma while maintaining attunement to clients’ faith-related attachment wounds.
- Collaboratively develop a trauma-informed plan to expand clients’ spiritual capacity and support gradual and ongoing restoration of a safe, secure attachment to God.
Continuing Education Statement
Live: Approved for LPC, LMFT, LCSW, and IBCC
The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) offers some psychologists, therapists, counselors, social workers, and play therapists Continuing Education (CE) credit due to good standing with certain states and a limited number of professional organizations. It remains the responsibility of each participant to be aware of state licensure and CE requirements. Participants should check their state and/or local regulations regarding required Continuing Education hours. *For Professionals needing Live CE Credits, Webinars Must be watched live. Webinars will remain Live until 12 am ET.
Psychologists
- The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. AACC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Licensed Mental Health Professionals
- The AACC is approved in multiple states to give Continuing Education to licensed mental health professionals. When requesting CEs, please indicate in which state you are licensed in on the Continuing Education Form. If this is not indicated, you may receive the wrong CE certificate for your state.
- The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), #1400, is approved as a provider for social work Continuing Education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), www.aswb.org, through the Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. ASWB Approval Period: (09/06/2023 to 09/06/2026). Licensed social workers should contact their individual regulatory boards to review current Continuing Education requirements for licensure renewal. Any presentation that is less than 50 minutes in duration is not approved by the ASWB for Continuing Education credits.
American Association of Christian Counselors has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7543. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. American Association of Christian Counselors is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
On-Demand: NBCC & IBCC
Effective immediately, participants can now earn 2 NBCC and IBCC credits for CounselTalk webinars that are not attended live. To receive this credit, participants must complete a 10-question quiz and an evaluation following the On-demand (recorded) CounselTalk webinar.
The CounselTalk webinar will switch to “On-Demand” credit after 11:59 pm on the day of the webinar.
American Association of Christian Counselors has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7543. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. American Association of Christian Counselors is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
IBCC: The training offered through AACC-sponsored conferences and training programs also meets the ongoing CE requirements for counselors, life coaches, and crisis responders who are credentialed through the International Board of Christian Care (IBCC) or one of its affiliate boards: the Board of Christian Professional and Pastoral Counseling (BCPPC), the Board of Christian Life Coaching (BCLC), the Board of Mental Health Coaching (BMHC), and the Board of Christian Crisis and Trauma Response (BCCTR).
Learn more about our Continuing Education Policies
Presenters
Colleen Ramser, M.A., LPC, is an EMDR-certified and somatically trained therapist specializing in trauma—particularly issues of spiritual trauma, domestic abuse, and complex trauma. She is also a speaker, author, and podcaster who meets Christ-followers at the intersection of trauma and faith. Colleen has appeared on Christianity Today’s “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” and “The Slow Work.” Her first book—for survivors recovering from spiritual trauma—will be published by Tyndale Refresh in 2026. As a survivor of trauma, Colleen is a compassionate witness on the journey, bringing not only her clinical expertise but a deep knowing of dark nights and the breath of new mercies.