2024 Washington DC Regional Conference
Subjugation, Mind Control, and Cultural Betrayal: Attachment Healing through Relational Connection
October 25-26, 2024
Hilton Arlington | Arlington, VA
We are excited to announce our 2024 Regional Conference in Washington, DC! Join ISSTD for this two-day conference featuring presentations by Daniel Shaw, Richard Loewenstein and Jennifer Gómez!
This conference brings together three distinct presentations addressing the multifaceted impact of trauma, exploring narcissistic abuse, dissociative identity disorder (DID), and cultural betrayal trauma, with a focus on therapeutic strategies and systemic change.
Daniel Shaw introduces the theory of the traumatizing narcissist, highlighting the subjugation and recovery process for victims. He contrasts this with traditional models by Kernberg and Kohut, focusing on the narcissist’s delusional omnipotence and its impact on victims. Richard Loewenstein discusses the complexities of transference and countertransference in DID treatment, emphasizing the challenges posed by traumatic transference and mind control transference (MCT). He elucidates how MCT, prevalent in patients with histories of severe abuse, complicates therapy and prolongs treatment due to the patients’ fear of being understood. Jennifer Gómez centers her workshop on U.S. Black women and their experiences of sexual abuse, utilizing Cultural Betrayal Trauma Theory (CBTT) to explain within-group violence and its effects on mental health. She advocates for Relational Cultural Therapy (RCT) and the liberation health framework to enhance cultural competency and trauma-informed care, proposing institutional changes to address systemic harm.
Common themes include the recognition and understanding of trauma’s pervasive effects, the therapeutic challenges in treating deeply embedded trauma responses, and the need for culturally sensitive and competent approaches in therapy. Learning outcomes focus on equipping therapists with strategies to address narcissistic abuse, DID, and cultural betrayal trauma, fostering a comprehensive understanding of these issues to promote healing and systemic transformation.
Schedule
Day One: Friday, October 25, 2024
| 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | The Relational System of the Traumatizing Narcissist – Shaw |
| 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Break |
| 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | The Relational System of the Traumatizing Narcissist (continued) – Shaw |
| 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch (on own) |
| 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Traumatic Transference & Mind Control Transference – Loewenstein |
| 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Break |
| 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Traumatic Transference & Mind Control Transference (continued) – Loewenstein |
Day Two: Saturday, October 26, 2024
| 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Traumatic Transference & Mind Control Transference (continued) – Loewenstein |
| 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Break |
| 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Traumatic Transference & Mind Control Transference (continued) – Loewenstein |
| 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch (on own) |
| 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Cultural Betrayal, Sexual Abuse, & Black Women: Healing Perspectives from Relational Cultural Therapy, the Liberation Health Framework, & Dreamstorming – Gómez |
| 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Break |
| 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Cultural Betrayal, Sexual Abuse, & Black Women: Healing Perspectives from Relational Cultural Therapy, the Liberation Health Framework, & Dreamstorming -Gómez |
Registration Details
Early registration ends August 28, 2024 at 5:00 PM US Eastern Time.
Student registrations are reviewed and accepted upon approval. Student registrants must provide proof of current status in a related field and must submit verification by email or fax.
Group rates are available for groups of five or more from the same hospital, facility, or university. Please email ISSTD HQ for assistance with group rates. For groups of 5-9 the discount is 10% off registration fees, for groups of 10 or more the discount is 15% off registration fees.
Online registration allows for payment via credit card only. If you wish to pay via check or wire transfer, please complete the this registration form and submit it to the Registration Department via email at cfas@isst-d.org. We will process the form and provide information for making payment once this is completed.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations must be received in writing via email or fax. A processing fee of $45 will be charged for cancellations received on or before September 30, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET. No refunds will be issued for no-shows. Refund requests will not be accepted after September 30, 2024. Not all requests will be granted. Substitutions for attendees are accepted at any time.
Grievance Policy
ISSTD is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformation with the APA and ASWB grievance procedures.
During this conference, conference organizers, presenters and staff will address any concerns that arise. Every effort will be made to address the concerns during the conference when possible. If these individuals are unable to address the participant’s concerns, the complaints and grievances shall be presented in writing to ISSTD Headquarters at cfas@isst-d.org. These will be forwarded on for review by the Virtual and Regional Conference Committee.
Social Workers: Should social workers have a specific grievance, these grievances will be addressed by D. Michael Coy, LICSW. In situations where the social worker would have a conflict of interest, then, Christine Forner, MSW will review the grievance.
ISSTD strives to resolve grievances in a manner that is in the best interest of the participant. All complaints and grievances are reviewed within 5 working days. Formal grievances are required to be written and emailed as directed above and will be responded to within 15 business days.
Disability Policy (ADA)
We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs. Please contact ISSTD Headquarters via email at cfas@isst-d.org or via phone at 844.994.7783 for assistance.
Registration Contact Information
Email: cfas@isst-d.org
Phone: 844.994.7783
Fax: 888.966.0310
Presenters
Meet our Speakers!
Daniel Shaw, LCSW
Daniel Shaw, LCSW is a psychotherapist in private practice in New York City and in Nyack, New York. After many years of psychoanalytic training, he went on to study Sensorimotor Psychotherapy with Janina Fisher; and completed Fisher’s certification in Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatmment (TIST), which integrates Structural Dissociation Theory, Affect Regulation Theory and Internal Family Systems concepts. He has extensive experience helping individuals with the negating impact of being in relationship to highly narcissistic significant others; and he has 30 years of experience helping cult survivors to heal from traumatic abuse in cults. He lectures and teaches to professional audiences internationally, and he provides individual clinical consultation and leads clinical consultation groups via teleconference. Prior to entering the mental health profession, he trained as an actor at Northwestern University and with the renowned teacher Uta Hagen in New York City. He later worked for more than a decade as a missionary for an Indian guru. His eventual recognition of cultic aspects of this organization led him to become an outspoken activist in support of individuals and families traumatically abused in cults. Simultaneous with leaving this group in 1994, he began his training in the mental health profession, becoming a faculty member and supervisor at The National Institute for the Psychotherapies in New York. His book, Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of Subjugation, was published in 2014 for the Relational Perspectives Series by Routledge and was a runner-up for the distinguished Gradiva Award. In 2018, he was honored by the International Cultic Studies Association with the Margaret Thaler Singer Award for advancing the understanding of coercive persuasion and undue influence. His second book, Traumatic Narcissism and Recovery: Leaving the Prison of Shame and Fear, was published by Routledge in 2021.
Richard Loewenstein, MD
Richard J. Loewenstein MD is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. He is the founder of, and from 1987-2020 was the Medical Director of, The Trauma Disorders Program at Sheppard Pratt, Baltimore, MD. He is rated by U.S. News and World Report as among America’s top 1 % of psychiatrists. Dr. Loewenstein did a research fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD. In the past he was a faculty member of the Departments of Psychiatry at Yale University, New Haven, CT; George Washington University, Washington, DC; and University of California, Los Angeles, CA. He is the author of approximately 100 papers and book chapters on dissociation, dissociative disorders, and trauma disorders, among others. He is the Section Editor, Dissociative Disorders, of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), DSM-5 Text Revision (DSM-5TR), to be published in Spring, 2022. He is co-editor of the 4th Revision (in preparation) of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) Guidelines for Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder in Adults. Since 2000, he has been an author of the Dissociative Disorders chapter in Kaplan & Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. He is leading the revision of the Dissociative Disorders chapter for the upcoming (11th) edition of this textbook. He is distinguished life fellow of the APA and, among other awards, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the ISSTD.
Jennifer M. Gómez, PhD
Jennifer M. Gómez, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work and Faculty Affiliate at the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health at Boston University. Additionally, she serves on the Boards of Center for Institutional Courage and End Rape On Campus. At ISSTD, she serves on the Board, Scientific Committee, and Annual Conference Committee, and is a guest co-editor of the upcoming special issue of Journal of Trauma & Dissociation on intersectional oppression, dissociation, and healing in diverse marginalized people. Dr. Gómez’ research centers around cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT), which she created as a Black feminist theoretical framework for examining the impact of violence within the context of inequality on Black and other marginalized populations. Her research has been published in over 100 peer-reviewed journals, books, newsletters, regional and national media outlets, and the Open Science Framework. Her work has been funded by the Ford Foundation Fellowships Program, administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine (NASEM), the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR)—National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University. Her transdisciplinary book, The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women & Girls: A Black Feminist Approach to Healing from Sexual Abuse, published by the American Psychological Association, centers Black women and girls through incorporating basic research on racism, intersectional oppression, and cultural betrayal trauma theory, as well as application in the form of culturally competent trauma therapy, radical healing in the Black community, and institutional courage (Freyd, 2018) to promote systems-level change. https://jmgomez.org
Program
Session One
Presentation Title: The Relational System of the Traumatizing Narcissist
Presenter: Daniel Shaw LCSW
Abstract: In this presentation, Daniel Shaw will explain the theory of the traumatizing narcissist and his relational system of subjugation; discuss the origin of the theory’s development; and describe how victims of the traumatizing narcissist can be helped to recognize the nature of the abuse and learn to recover from damage to the sense of self caused by the experience of subjugation.
Kernberg and his associates have focused on defining, diagnosing, and treating pathological narcissism in people they diagnose with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Kohut, on the other hand, focused on the healing of narcissistic wounds that had been caused by developmental failures on the part of parents who had not appropriately responded to nor helped regulate the narcissistic tendencies of grandiosity and exhibitionism in the developing child. Both theorists focus on the patient’s narcissism: correcting it, in the Kernberg model, and converting narcissistic disturbances into healthy narcissism, in the Kohut model. The theory of the traumatizing narcissist’s relational system departs from the models of Kernberg, Kohut and many other theorists of narcissism, in that it is centered on helping victims of narcissistic abuse in a process of healing and recovery.
In this theory, the traumatizing narcissist is understood to have developed a manic delusion of omnipotence which is characteristically expressed as shamelessness. He (or she) views himself or herself as perfectly infallible, and therefore in no need of growth or change. The traumatizing narcissist promotes shamefulness in those he seeks to control, as a means of keeping them dependent on himself. In doing so, the traumatizing narcissist is using manic defenses against his own extreme, disavowed and deeply shameful dependency, and finding ways to evacuate those feelings into others.
The traumatizing narcissist theory provides a way for therapists to help victims of narcissistic abuse by teaching patients to recognize the characteristic behaviors of the traumatizing narcissist, understand his psychology, and use their knowledge to work toward liberating themselves from situations of control and exploitation.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this training participant will be able to:
- Identify and define the dynamics of the traumatizing narcissist’s relational system
- Identify the significant character traits and behaviors of the traumatizing narcissist
- Describe the traumatic harm victims of the traumatizing narcissist experience
- Employ psycho-education as part of the clinical work of healing self-alienation
- Implement working with parts in the treatment of victims of the traumatizing narcissist
Potential to Distress: No
Session Two
Presentation Title: Traumatic Transference and Mind Control Transference
Presenter: Richard J Loewenstein, MD
Abstract: In this presentation, Dr. Loewenstein will review the basic issues in transference and countertransference in DID treatment. He will review that the core transference is fundamentally traumatic, with its most basic variant the anticipation that therapists will inevitably exploit the DID patient in some way for their own narcissistic gratification. This belief exists despite therapists’ apparent concern, helpfulness, probity, and (often) specific statements to the contrary. Dr. Loewenstein will discuss basic variants of traumatic transference in DID treatment. Transference issues in DID treatment will be framed in terms of the development of DID as an early childhood-onset, posttraumatic, dissociative developmental disorder, where dissociative self-states develop in response to typically unpredictable malevolent maltreatment by caregivers. In addition, Dr. Loewenstein will discuss the impact of these transferences on therapists, including posttraumatic and dissociative countertransference responses. Then he will discuss negative therapeutic reaction (NTR) in DID treatment, particularly in response to posttraumatic shame dynamics. Classically, NTR occurs in psychotherapy when interventions that logically should lead to positive change in the patient, repeatedly lead to symptomatic worsening. In DID treatment, NTR is specifically based in posttraumatic relational dynamics involving humiliation. This overview leads to discussion of an extreme traumatic transference response in DID treatment: mind control transference (MCT). Here, DID patients experience that therapists’ overt helpfulness and concern is really in the interest of gaining access to the patient’s mind to malevolently invade, control, and even enslave the patient. MCT occurs to some extent in all DID therapy. However, it dominates therapy in patients with histories of organized abuse; extreme, invasive psychological abuse by attachment figures; abuse by mental health practitioners, including mental health practitioner parents, and combinations of these. In the MCT, the setting of therapy and virtually all interactions with the therapist may activate posttraumatic reminders and cues. Contrary to typical trauma therapist expectations, MCT patients are terrified by the possibility of being “known”, “seen”, or “understood”. In many cases, words used by therapists are themselves literally experienced as a source of danger. Therapy with these DID patients is inevitably prolonged by the complexity of the MCT and its activation in the therapeutic setting itself. Dr. Loewenstein will discuss countertransference responses that may result in even experienced therapists feeling baffled, deskilled, confused, and even angry when previously helpful interventions result in apparent stalemate and seemingly endless NTR. At the same time, understanding MCT dynamics can help therapists make sense of some seemingly intractably “stuck” DID patients. Dr. Loewenstein will describe clinical case material to illustrate what he has found helpful for both MCT transference and countertransference, and the vital importance of therapeutic patience.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Discuss the basic types of traumatic transferences in DID treatment
- Recognize in themselves posttraumatic and dissociative aspects of countertransference in DID treatment
- Describe the basic negative therapeutic reaction in DID treatment and its relationship to humiliation
- Explain the dynamics of the mind control transference in DID treatment, its relationship to NTR, and its impact on therapy
- Recognize indicators of mind control transference dynamics, in particular patients’ dominant fear of being “known”, “understood”, or “seen” by the therapist and conceptualizing why this is fear is so extreme
Potential to Distress: Yes
Session Three
Presentation Title: Cultural Betrayal, Sexual Abuse, & Black Women: Healing Perspectives from Relational Cultural Therapy, the Liberation Health Framework, & Dreamstorming
Presenter: Jennifer M Gómez, PhD
Abstract: In this three-hour workshop, Dr. Gómez will center U.S. Black women as relates to their lifetime histories of sexual abuse. In the first half of the workshop, she will provide a basic primer on structural racism (Neblett, 2022) and intersectional oppression (e.g., interlocking racism and sexism; Collins, 2017) that impact Black women. She then will detail her research with cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT; e.g., Giroux et al., 2023), which she created as a Black feminist scientific framework for examining the unique cultural betrayal harm of within-group violence in marginalized communities, including specifically Black male perpetrated sexual abuse against Black women. According to CBTT, (intra)cultural trust, such as solidarity in the Black community, is a protective factor against racism and intersectional oppression. As a violation of (intra)cultural trust, within-group violence is a cultural betrayal trauma. Research has shown that cultural betrayal trauma is associated with mental health outcomes, such as dissociation, and cultural outcomes, such as internalized prejudice (Howard Valdivia et al., 2023). Building on this foundation, Dr. Gómez will then discuss relational cultural therapy (RCT; Jordan, 2017), an evidence-informed therapeutic approach that centers both the therapeutic relationship and the client’s context in healing. She will close this first half of the workshop by applying the tenets of RCT to a Black woman survivor of cultural betrayal trauma, Nikiya (pseudonym). The second half of the workshop will focus specifically on systems-level harm and avenues for change. First, she will introduce the liberation health framework from Belkin and Martinez as a model for incorporating cultural competency into therapy: 1) connecting clients’ mental health with their social conditions, such as oppression and trauma; 2) focusing solutions on both individual and societal levels; 3) centralizing the client’s worldview and understanding of their life into treatment; 4) promoting critical consciousness and agency within clients, while focusing on the impact of oppression in their lives; and 5) engaging in collaboration with clients in all facets of treatment. Given the role of institutions in both harm and healing, Dr. Gómez will shift to focusing on institutional change. From her book, The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women & Girls: A Black Feminist Approach to Healing from Sexual Abuse, she will share an excerpt of a U.S. White woman doctor’s sexual violence and negligence against Nikiya (pseudonym), a Black women patient and survivor of cultural betrayal trauma. Within this example, she will identify the institutional betrayals, institutional courage steps to remedy the harm, and dreamstorming of a world in which all doctor’s visits could be culturally competent and trauma-informed. Finally, Dr. Gómez will close by discussing the necessity of hope amidst belonging to institutions and societies that remain violent and unequal.
Learning Objective:
At the conclusion of this presentation participants will be able to:
- Define three primary aspects of cultural betrayal trauma theory: (intra)cultural trust, cultural betrayal trauma, and cultural outcomes
- Identify examples of therapeutic strategies at the structural, interpersonal, and individual levels
- Define institutional betrayal, institutional courage, and dreamstorming within the context of health care settings
Potential to Distress: Yes
Explore Washington, DC!
Washington, DC is the capitol city of the United States and is home to must see landmarks and monuments like the White House, the Capitol and more! Washington DC is a very diverse community and is one of the nation’s largest and most influential cultural, political and economic regions. With a variety of museums and performing-arts venues, there is plenty to see and do during your stay in the region.
Your Guide to Local Attractions from Visit Washington DC!
Attractions
Getting Around Washington DC
Food and Drink
Venue & Travel
Conference Venue
Hilton Arlington
950 N Stafford Street
Arlington, VA 22203
United States
At this time the room block at the conference hotel is full but rooms are still available at the hotel at their normal rates.
Other Nearby Hotels
Travel
For information about traveling to the Washington DC area, visit this page.
Closest Metro Stops
Ballston-MU (Orange and Silver Lines)
This metro stop is connected to the hotel.
Parking
Hotel self-parking: $22/day
Continuing Education & Continuing Medical Education Credits
Information about approvals for the full conference is included below. Participants attending the full conference will receive 12 APA and ASWB continuing education credits and 12 ISSTD Certificate Program credits. Information about credits for each session are included in the information for each session. Participants will receive individual certificates for each session attended for the sessions which they meet the requirements for. To earn credits, participants must attend the full session and complete a session evaluation for each session.
Awarding of Certificate of Credit
Continuing education credits are available for an additional fee for this event. To obtain continuing education credits, participants who have purchased credits must attend be in attendance for each session in full, sign in and out of every session, and complete a post-event evaluation. Certificates of Credit are awarded within 30 days of completion of the evaluation for the conference. Participants will be emailed a link to complete evaluations two to three weeks after the conference and will be able to download a pdf of their certificate after all evaluations are complete.
Continuing Education Information
Available Credit
- 12.00 APA
The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains responsibility for this program and its content. - 12.00 ASWB ACE
The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), #1744, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. ISSTD maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2021 – 08/20/2024. Social workers completing this course receive 12.00 continuing education credits. - 12.00 ISSTD Certificate Program
This program is eligible for 12.00 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program.
Financial Disclosures
All presenters, planners, editors, or staff report no relevant relationships to disclose: “I do not have at present, or within the last 12 months, nor anticipate having financial interest, arrangement or affiliation with any organizations that could be perceived as a real or apparent conflict
Supporter & Exhibitor Opportunities
Discover New Connections in Washington, DC!
Our conference attendees represent the leading professionals in the world of trauma and dissociation. Our conferences allow for organizations to network with and promote your organization to attendees who have traveled from around the globe to be present. As a supporter or exhibitor, you will have the unique opportunity to tap into this esteemed network of professionals. Don’t miss out on this limited opportunity to connect one on one with psychologists, social workers, counselors and other mental health professionals who use and promote the products and services you have to offer!
ISSTD Organizational Membership Available Now!
ISSTD has launched a new Organizational Membership. This membership is open to treatment facilities, hospitals, multi-clinician practices, government organizations/agencies, and colleges/universities who specialize in the treatment of complex trauma and/or dissociation. Bronze, Silver and Gold memberships include exhibit and supporter opportunities in addition to membership. For more information on benefits and prices of the Organizational Membership with ISSTD, click here!