Jan-April 2027: 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.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW
This integrative journey begins on January 8th, 2027, and runs through April 18th in Ericeira. Deb Dana and Alexia Rothman come together for the fourth time to lead this 40-hour hybrid training program, weaving together two of the most powerful frameworks in contemporary trauma work - Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Polyvagal Theory (PVT) - in an experiential, side-by-side integration, two online modules (January and February) and one module in person (April 15-18) in the beautiful seaside setting of Ericeira, Portugal.

Module 1 . January 2027 · 9 hours online

Polyvagal Theory with Deb Dana 
Dates: 8, 15, 29 January 2027 
Times: 12–3pm EST on the 8th and the 15th; 1–4pm EST on the 29th

Module 2 . February 2027 · 9 hours online

IFS and Polyvagal Theory integration, with Alexia Rothman 
Dates: 5, 12, 19 February 2027 
Times: 5pm–8pm Portugal time

Module 3 . Ericeira, Portugal · 22 hours in person

Polyvagal Theory & IFS with Deb Dana and Alexia Rothman 
Dates: Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th April 2027, on 4 consecutive days 
Times: 9:00am–5:15pm Portugal time

Agenda for the 4 In-Person Days  PVT & IFS Integration . Module 3
Thursday, April 15–Sunday, April 18, 2027

Online Program Schedule

In this Program, 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)
• Skills practice in PVT and IFS modalities

No CEUs are available for this workshop.

Three ways to attend

Choose the format that fits your journey

Deb Dana, LCSW

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

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.

Host · Organizer

Aníbal Henriques

Psychotherapist · IFS Portugal · SPPC

“Holding the space where this work can happen”

Aníbal Henriques hosts and organizes this 4th edition of the Polyvagal & IFS workshop in Ericeira. Through the Advanced Psychotherapy Specialization and IFS Portugal, he has been bringing leading IFS and Polyvagal voices to Portuguese-speaking and international practitioners, curating training experiences that combine rigorous clinical learning with the contemplative quality of the Atlantic coast.