Conference Invitation
 With
the reality of terrorism now a constant, world attention
has become focused on the impact of trauma. Whether it
is trauma of no-one's responsibility, natural, accidental
or deliberate occurrences, or abuse at the hands of crucial
attachment figures ie. parents, teachers, clergy, law
enforcement officers, health professionals etc., the often
unseen scars of such personal terror leave their mark
with ramifications not only for the individual and society
but also the world at large.
Never have these issues been more in the
public consciousness. They present a major challenge
to health, legal, educational, justice, media, welfare,
pastoral, academic and political communities.
Inflicting emotional, mental, physical
or sexual trauma in the home or in the world arena is
a human rights violation. Collective and individual
dissociation is understandable but the time is upon
us to responsibly address these issues. It has become
apparent in recent years that dissociative defences
are commonplace in both acute and long term trauma.
Patients/clients with dissociative disorders as a consequence
of long standing deprivation and abuse can readily be
identified across the range of psychiatric and counselling
settings. Allied with the growing awareness of dissociative
processes has been a burgeoning scientific and clinical
interest in the complexities of trauma and attachment
and how this relates to more effective interventions
with:
- depression and other mood disorders
- anxiety disorders
- personality disorders
- schizophrenia and psychosis
- eating and somatoform disorders
- substance abuse
- PTSD and trauma
- child abuse and neglect
- dysfunctional families
- individuals struggling with interpersonal relationships
and fulfilment
An increased awareness of these issues
can only lead to improvements with respect to primary
prevention and early intervention as well as informed
dialogue regarding child abuse/emotional deprivation,
trauma and attachment where dichotomous thinking and
polemic are essentially not constructive. This includes
attention to the inevitable impact of vicarious traumatization
on those providing services and support for traumatized
people.
The conference has the support of very
well credentialled International and Australian Advisory
Committees. In addition to our sponsors, we warmly thank
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
(RANZCP), The Association of Psychiatrists in Training
(APT), the Royal College of General Practitioners and
the College of Medical Administrators for their help
and support.
It will be the most in depth forum on
specific issues of attachment and traumatic dissociation
yet convened in Australia. It features a stellar cast
of international speakers
from USA, Canada, Japan, The Netherlands, Turkey, Northern
Ireland, India, Africa, Switzerland and New Zealand
as well as many outstanding Australians.
We warmly welcome you to join with those
at the forefront in this landmark conference!
Naomi Halpern, Susan Henry and Warwick Middleton,
Co-Chair
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