When the Body Speaks: Ego State Therapy & Hypnotic Applications for Somatic Symptoms including FND & Chronic Pain
Join our online course on November 10, 2026, from 9 AM to 5 PM Central Time.
Course Description
This training is designed for clinicians who wish to deepen their clinical skills when working with somatic symptoms such as functional neurological disorder (FND) or other somatic symptoms including pain. This course, grounded in Ego State Therapy theory conceptualizes somatic symptoms as meaningful messages from the body and the system of self. These symptoms may have unconscious explanations that can assist in identifying origin, maintenance, or even a solution for complex somatic presentations. Somatic symptoms can reflect internal conflicts, adaptive reasoning, or other survival strategies. Ego State Therapy provides several ways to communicate with the body and/or ego states to explore unconscious causes, contributing factors as well as potential solutions for somatic symptoms.
Participants will learn how to access and communicate with states to elicit information about safety, function, contributing factors, and potential pathways for resolution of somatic symptoms such as ideomotor signaling. Emphasis is placed on therapeutic intention, hypnotic suggestions, interventions, and internal negotiations that are respectful of the whole self within a trauma-informed, phase-oriented framework.
This training will review and apply core Ego State Therapy (EST) principles, including Lemke’s adapted P-Principles, which serve as a template for holding the multiplicity of self in mind when formulating hypnotic suggestions and strategies. These principles were designed to promote safe and manageable unconscious exploration, especially for the internally conflicted traumatized self. One of these principles emphasizes how the 'Physiology' is dependent on what Ego State is dominant at any given time. This has a direct implication when working with FND and other Somatic complaints. EST treatment strategies based on these principles will be presented, such as accessing internal resources and Lemke’s Playing with the Space, an integrative intervention used to shift physiology toward optimal somatic functioning.
Demonstrations and case examples will be incorporated to enhance participants’ learning.
Learning Objectives
By the conclusion of this two-day training, participants will be able to work with FND & Other Somatic issues in a variety of ways including the following:
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Summarize research that demonstrates the effectiveness of clinical hypnosis in treating somatic issues such as FND and Chronic Pain.
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Apply Ego State Therapy concepts including Lemke’s adapted P-Principles, to clinically conceptualize and work with the voices of the body by recognizing the multiplicity of self.
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Identify three different ways to access ego states for gathering useful unconscious information about the body to assist in the treatment of somatic symptoms.
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Develop an ego state trauma informed hypnotic approach for a somatic symptom presentation that integrates therapeutic intention and incorporates EST strategies such as Lemke’s ‘Playing with the Space’ strategy.
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Demonstrate the use of ideomotor signaling as a tool to work with the system of self to identify purpose/function, and/or other contributing factors to somatic symptoms.
Wendy Lemke MS
Licensed Psychologist
Wendy Lemke is the co-founder of Ego State Therapy North American (ESTNA), the North American representative to Ego State Therapy International (ESTI), the editor of the ESTI newsletter, along with being a certified ESTNA and ESTI consultant and trainer.
She is an American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) fellow, certified approved consultant, and former Vice President of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH). She is also an active member of the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis (MSCH) and has served on the Board and various committees for both organizations as well as teaching basic, intermediate, and advanced workshops at regional and annual conferences.
She is a fellow of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) and an active member and teacher for the organization.
She has received numerous awards. She has been honored with four awards from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis: two awards for publishing, a Merit award, and a Presidential award for her continued efforts to expand clinical hypnosis education to the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. She was also awarded the Daniel P. Kohen M.D. Outstanding Clinician Award in recognition of outstanding leadership in the clinical practice, teaching, and utilization of therapeutic hypnosis by the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis.
She has published articles in the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, and the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, and a chapter for a Hypnosis book (In press) in Germany. She wrote and produced the documentary: You’re Not Crazy & You’re Not Alone: Inside the Inner World of Dissociative Identity Disorder as well as Self-hypnosis recordings for sleep and mental vacations.
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Ego State Therapy & Hypnotic Applications for Somatic Symptoms such as FND & Chronic Pain
Starts Nov 10
195 US dollarsLoading availability...
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This will be recorded and available to registered participants for a limited time.