Subtle Touch Training III

Training Details

Facilitator/s: Anita R Blanchard & Ana Rios/Leda Seixas/Vivian Nassif
Date: To be announced in 2027
Time: To be announced
Place: To be announced

Fee: TBA – Light Lunch and Refreshments Included
Early bird Registration Fee: 
Limited number of participants

In this 2-day training, participants will learn, receive, and apply finely tuned touch sequences and vibratory techniques along the spine, as well as passive movements of small and large joints coordinated rhythmically with the breath. You will also explore how to use vibration to help reset postural tension in proprioceptors and muscle spindles, and how to employ gentle acoustic stimuli to support auditory orienting reflexes and regulation.

The theoretical component will delve into the role of dreams in therapy, the Default Mode Network and mind-wandering processes, and the symbolic and psychological significance of the spine. Participants are invited to bring and share clinical material related to their work with Level I and II trainings, integrating these experiences into group discussion and case conceptualization.

Approximately 70% of the training is dedicated to supervised hands-on practice, with the remaining 30% focused on theory, integration, and dialogue.

Prerequisites: Completion of Calatonia Basic Training I and Subtle Touch II is required to attend this module.

By the end of this 2-day training, participants can expect to:

  • Confidently apply spinal touch and vibration sequences
    Learn how to use precise touch, vibration, and passive joint movements in coordination with breathing to support regulation and postural balance.
  • Use vibration to address postural and muscular tension
    Develop practical skills in using vibratory input to help reset proprioceptors and muscle spindles, supporting clients with chronic tension and discomfort.
  • Incorporate gentle acoustic stimuli in sessions
    Understand when and how to introduce subtle acoustic cues to engage auditory orienting reflexes and foster a sense of safety and presence.
  • Deepen clinical understanding of dreams and mind wandering
    Integrate concepts related to the Default Mode Network, dreams, and mind wandering into therapeutic work, especially with Calatonia and subtle touch.
  • Work more holistically with the symbolism of the spine
    Appreciate the spine as both a neurophysiological and symbolic axis, and use this understanding to inform case formulation and interventions.
  • Refine and integrate previous Calatonia training (Levels I & II)
    Build on existing skills, linking earlier techniques with this more advanced work to create coherent, individualized treatment approaches.
  • Increase confidence in using subtle-touch approaches
    Leave with greater ease, clarity, and clinical confidence in bringing these methods into ongoing therapeutic practice.

Important: This introductory training does not authorize participants to teach Calatonia.
For pathways to teaching, please request by email: Requirements for Becoming a Calatonia Facilitator and Trainer.

Note to Participants

Training in Calatonia & Subtle Touch supports both professional development and personal process, which can be particularly valuable for clinicians working with stress, trauma, and regulation.

Participants frequently report:

  • Increased confidence in using gentle, non-invasive touch within a therapeutic frame
  • A deepened sense of mutual trust, attunement, and safety in clinical relationships
  • Greater appreciation for slow, subtle interventions as a complement to verbally oriented methods
  • Enhanced awareness of their own embodied presence as a therapeutic tool

Group learning tends to have highly positive outcomes. Group dynamics can:

  • Strengthen each participant’s capacity for self-regulation and co-regulation
  • Deepen somatic and psychological processing
  • Offer a supportive environment for exploring clinical questions and ethical boundaries around touch

Because the training may activate personal material and deepen self-awareness, it is strongly recommended that participants be engaged in their own psychotherapy, either before and/or during the training.

All participants receive a Training Brochure with:

  • Protocol summaries and key guidelines
  • Theoretical highlights and references
  • Recommendations for further study, supervision, and integration into practice

* We encourage participants to attend the workshop with a local colleague to exchange regular applications of the technique for further professional development and in-depth personal experience.

Suggested literature

Blanchard, A. R. (2023). From WWII with Compassion: The Calatonia® somatic approach for global reorganization and mutual regulation of soma and psyche. International Body Psychotherapy Journal The Art and Science of Somatic Praxis, 21(2),  91-105

Blanchard, A. R. (2021). Calatonia e toques sutis: enfoque neurocientífico. Appris Editora.

Blanchard, A. R., & Comfort, W. E. (2020). Keeping in Touch with Mental Health: The Orienting Reflex and Behavioral Outcomes from Calatonia. Brain Sciences, 10(3), 182.

Blanchard, A. R., Rios, A. M. G., & Seixas, L. P. (2019). Calatonia: A Therapeutic Approach that Promotes Somatic and Psychological Regulation. Alma Street Enterprise.

Blanchard, A. R., Rios, A. M. G., & Seixas, L. P. (2010). The Body in Psychotherapy: Calatonia and Subtle Touch Techniques. In Raya Jones, Body, Mind, and Healing After Jung: A Space of Questions (pp. 228-249). Routledge.

Delmanto, S. (2008). Subtle Touches: Calatonia.  Summus Editorial.

Farah, R. M. (2017). Calatonia – Subtle Touch in Psychotherapy. Companhia Ilimitada.

Registration

Please, email [email protected] if you would like to register for this course.

Cancellation Policy for Professional Training

If you have already registered for one of our professional trainings, and you are no longer able to attend it, our cancellation policy is as follows:

  • We offer a refund of original fee minus a $75-dollar admin fee up to 30 days prior to your scheduled training date
    • A 50% refund after that up to two weeks prior to the scheduled date
    • No refund within two weeks of the training date

To cancel your registration according to the cancellation policy, email [email protected] with the subject line “Cancellation”, your name and date of training and registration.