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Digital Seminar

Survivor’s Guilt in Traumatic Grief

$69.99 Standard

Survivor’s guilt is a common and painful part of traumatic grief. Its presence has been shown to impair grief integration and worsen prognosis. Research indicates that guilt after trauma is frequent and often tied to increased trauma symptoms and suicidal thoughts. Neuroscience helps us understand that these guilt responses are actually survival-based adaptations – the amygdala encodes emotionally charged memories while stress-induced structural plasticity reinforces guilt-based narratives that can feel inescapable.

The exciting news is that because the brain is neuroplastic, these encodings are not permanent. By using brain-based tools, clinicians can teach clients how to interrupt guilt loops, calm their nervous systems, and begin building new pathways that support healing and meaning-making.

This one-hour workshop provides practitioners with accessible strategies to help clients release guilt’s grip and move toward posttraumatic growth

Here's What You'll Learn

Welcome & Framing Survivor’s Guilt

  • Define survivor’s guilt in the context of traumatic grief
  • Normalize guilt as the brain’s adaptive attempt to explain survival, not a character flaw.

The Neuroscience of Guilt in Grief

  • How guilt-related encodings activate the amygdala, impair prefrontal cortex function, and bias working memory (“grief brain”).
  • Discussion of how neuroplasticity can maintain these patterns, but also provides the foundation for resilience and posttraumatic growth

Applying Brain-Based Strategies

  • Mapping guilt through cognitions, autonomic responses, somatosensory experiences, and emotions
  • Introducing neuroplasticity-based approaches that calm the nervous system, interrupt guilt loops, and create new pathways for self-compassion and meaning-making

Closing Integration

  • Guided reflection and simple regulation practice to consolidate learning
  • Invitation for participants to consider one compassionate statement or perspective shift they might share with clients navigating survivor’s guilt

Everything You're Getting

  • More than 1 hour of video content
  • Up to 1.0 CE credits
  • Certificate of completion
  • Handouts and resources

Meet Your Experts

Kate Truitt, PhD, MBA

Toggle speaker biography

Dr. Kate Truitt, a clinical psychologist, applied neuroscientist, and international bestselling author, is an expert in trauma, stress, and resilience. She is the founder of the educational platform Truitt Institute and leads her award-winning clinical team at Dr. Kate Truitt & Associates. As a member of the Goldie Hawn Foundation’s MindUP Scientific Advisory Committee and a co-developer of the Havening Techniques®, as well as an expert contributor to the Kevin Love Fund and Girl Scouts of America, Dr. Truitt passionately advocates for mental health literacy and personal empowerment globally. Her voice in the mental health arena extends to her role as a speaker and media consultant, including being featured in BBC and Today, and speaking at prestigious platforms like the United Nations and the United States Department of Defense. Dr. Truitt founded and is the chairman of the board for the Amy Research Foundation, a 501c3 organization focused on advancing research into the innovative treatment realm of neuroscience-based mental health and wellness interventions. As the author of her memoir, #1 top new release Keep Breathing: A Psychologist’s Intimate Journey Through Loss, Trauma, and Rediscovering Life and the international bestseller Healing in Your Hands: Self-Havening Exercises to Harness Neuroplasticity, Heal Traumatic Stress, and Build Resilience, she is dedicated to advancing the treatment of traumatic stress while making significant strides in destigmatizing mental health and fostering resilience worldwide.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Kate Truitt is the President and Founder of Dr. Kate Truitt & Associates; Chief Executive Officer of the Trauma Counseling Center of Los Angeles; Executive Director and Founder of the Amy Research Foundation; and Executive Director of the Truitt Institute. Dr. Truitt receives royalties as a published author and compensation as a presenter. She serves as a scientific advisor and board member for Anti-AgingGames.com and the Goldie Hawn Foundation. She also receives speaking honoraria and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. All relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations have been mitigated.
Non-financial: Dr. Kate Truitt is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the American Cognitive Training Association, and the American College of Healthcare Executives.

More taught by Kate Truitt, PhD, MBA

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Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)

Access never expires for this product.

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Media Type:
Digital Seminar
Product Code:
POS150662
Duration:
1 hour, 4 minutes
Copyright:
Apr 15, 2026
Closed Captions:
Available
Format:
Audio and Video

ADA Needs

We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at 1-800-844-8260.

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