Shame and Dissociation – Implications for Trauma Therapy
Live Webinar: 18th Apr 2026
About This Webinar
Shame and dissociation are increasingly recognised as core psychological consequences of traumatic stress—particularly trauma rooted in disrupted or harmful relational contexts. As both clinical experience and empirical research have demonstrated, these phenomena not only shape how trauma is encoded and remembered but also profoundly influence affect regulation, relational engagement, and therapeutic responsiveness.
In this webinar, Professor Martin Dorahy will draw on decades of research and clinical expertise to explore the evolving evidence base linking shame and dissociation. He will review laboratory and survey findings that illuminate their bi-directional relationship, as well as associated cognitive, affective, and personality variables, including fear of social connection and differing conceptualisations of personality structure. Building on this foundation, Prof Dorahy will translate these insights into meaningful implications for trauma formulation, moment-to-moment attunement, and therapeutic intervention with complex trauma presentations.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the bi-directional relationship between shame and dissociation
- Identify key personality, cognitive, and affective variables associated with both processes
- Explore how emerging research findings can be translated into clinical assessment, formulation, and intervention in trauma therapy
GLOBAL EXPERT SERIES
Discover how shame and dissociation shape therapy
Strengthen your trauma skills with Prof Dorahy’s insights.
Webinar Details
Venue: Online on Zoom. Includes access to video recording for 90 days
Dates: Saturday, 18th of April 2026
Time: 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. (Sydney/Melbourne Time)
Cost: A$79
CPD Certificate: 2 hours.
GLOBAL EXPERT SERIES
Deepen your understanding of shame, dissociation, and trauma.
Explore the clinical impact of shame and dissociation with world-leading expert Prof Dorahy
About Prof Martin Dorahy
Martin Dorahy, PhD, DClinPsych, is a clinical psychologist and professor in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. He has a clinical, research and theoretical interest in complex trauma, dissociative disorders and self-conscious emotions (e.g., shame). He has published peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and co-edited six books in the area of psychotraumatology, including most recently, Dissociation and the Dissociative Disorder: Past, Present, Future, 2nd Ed (with Steve Gold and John O’Neil; 2023) and Contemporary Perspectives on the Seduction Theory and Psychotherapy: Revisiting ‘The Assault on Truth’ (with Warwick Middleton). He is a member of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists, New Zealand Psychological Society, and the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists. He is a Fellow and Past President of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). He maintains a clinical practice, focused primarily on the adult sequelae of childhood relational trauma. He enjoys snow skiing and mountain biking.