From being overwhelmed to acute stress disorder to PTSD, complex trauma and dissociation, trauma is as much part of the human experience as is loss, grief and identity. Like these other fundamental elements trauma’s power and influence cannot be overstated. The history of trauma understanding, and intervention has been filled with avoidance, misunderstanding and hype. “Trauma” has become a buzz word and in today’s environment there is a lot of confusion, conflicting information, over-simplification and just plain misinformation at personal and professional levels. In this course we will look in depth at critical dynamics of trauma and how these dynamics impact us and integrate into our daily lives. We will look at interventions for healing (options, risks, outcomes) and how important the “contexts” of the trauma experience are in influencing our lives and how crucial is the “human element” for recovery and healing. The goal of this course is to provide an overall framework for understanding trauma with the full range of trauma addressed and providing “functional” and helpful information for attendees. This course has been found to be of value for people from all backgrounds (professional and personal).