Polyvagal Theory and IFS: an Integrative Journey - 4th Ed

Despite the diversity of content that brings clients to therapy, difficulty regulating their emotional experience is at the heart of their struggles. Clients can feel hijacked by extreme emotional states, uncomfortable in their own skin, and think or behave in ways they wish they wouldn't. Polyvagal Theory helps us understand what's happening on a biological level when our clients are emotionally dysregulated. IFS offers a compassionate, non-shaming approach to healing the wounded, burdened, and traumatised parts of clients' systems and increasing internal harmony and connection.

This journey begins on January 8th, 2027, and runs through April 18th at Ericeira.
It is a 4-month journey, with a total of 38 hours distributed across 3 modules: two online modules (January and February) and one in-person module, April 15–18, in the beautiful seaside setting of Ericeira, Portugal.
Deb Dana and Alexia Rothman come together for the fourth time to offer a 4-day, fully interactive, experiential workshop examining the integration of Polyvagal Theory and Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy.

Module 1 | 9 hours online
Polyvagal Theory with Deb Dana
8, 15, 29 January 2027
Times: 11am–2pm EST on the 8th and the 15th; noon–3pm EST on the 29th

Module 2 | 9 hours online
Polyvagal Theory & IFS with Alexia Rothman
5, 12, 19 February 2027
Times: 5pm–8pm Portugal time

Module 3 | 20 hours in person
Polyvagal Theory & IFS with Deb Dana and Alexia Rothman
Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th April 2027, on 4 consecutive days.
Times: 9:00am–5:00pm Portugal time.

Agenda for Days 1–4 — PVT & IFS Integration (Module 3, in person)

Day 1 —  [TO COMPLETE]
Day 2 —  [TO COMPLETE]
Day 3 — [TO COMPLETE]
Day 4 — [TO COMPLETE]

Daily Schedule (Module 3):
9:00am–10:15am: Morning Session 1
10:15am–10:45am: Coffee Break
10:45am–12:15pm: Morning Session 2
12:15pm–2:00pm: Lunch
2:00pm–3:15pm: Afternoon Session 1
3:15pm–3:45pm: Coffee Break
3:45pm–5:00pm: Afternoon Session 2

In this workshop, you will:

Learn the fundamentals of Polyvagal Theory and Internal Family Systems Therapy.
Examine how Polyvagal concepts can be understood and interpreted through an IFS lens.
Discuss how an understanding of PVT can inform and support your IFS practice.
Explore possibilities for the integration of PVT and IFS in therapy with your clients.

The agenda will include:

IFS-based meditations relevant to Polyvagal Theory
Didactic presentations by Deb Dana and Alexia Rothman
Discussion and Q&A
Experiential exercises to personally connect with the material
Live demonstrations of Polyvagal-informed therapy (Deb Dana) and PVT-informed IFS therapy (Alexia Rothman)

No CEUs are available for this workshop.

Deb Dana, LCSW, is a clinician, consultant, author, and speaker specialising in complex trauma. Her work is focused on using the lens of Polyvagal Theory to understand and resolve the impact of trauma in our lives. Deb is well known for translating PVT into a language and application that is both clear and accessible, and for her significant contribution to pioneering the Rhythm of Regulation® methodology, tools, techniques, and practices which continue to open up the power of PVT for professionals and curious people from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life. She has a busy career training therapists around the world in how to bring a Polyvagal approach into their clinical practice, and also works with agencies and larger systems to explore how to incorporate a Polyvagal perspective. She is a founding member of The Polyvagal Institute, a consultant to Khiron Clinics, and an advisor to Unyte.

Dr. Alexia Rothman is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Atlanta, GA, since 2004. She is a Certified Internal Family Systems therapist, a Co-Lead Trainer for the IFS Institute, an international speaker and educator on the IFS model, and a professional consultant for clinicians seeking to deepen their knowledge and practice of IFS. Dr. Rothman has received extensive training in the IFS model, primarily from IFS developer Dr. Richard Schwartz. She has served on staff for multiple Level 1, 2, and 3 experiential IFS trainings, and she offers workshops on the IFS model throughout the United States and abroad. Dr. Rothman is a United States Presidential Scholar who graduated summa cum laude from Emory University as a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she was an Edwin W. Pauley Fellow and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She has held adjunct faculty positions at Emory University and Agnes Scott College.