Course Description

Not all hauntings are supernatural. Many clients are held back by internal states that feel like they have a life of their own: the ghosts of unresolved trauma and grief that won’t stay buried, the zombie states of nervous system shutdown and dissociation that block access to the present moment, and the shadows of inner parts that sabotage growth from within. These haunting forces live in the body and mind, shaping how clients think, feel, and relate. In this 2-hour workshop, participants will step into The Haunted Therapy Room to explore how ghosts, zombies, and shadows show up in clinical practice as nervous system survival states, trauma legacies, and protective parts. Through lecture, case examples, and exercises, attendees will recognize these stuck states, understand their impact on clients’ lives and relationships, and apply practical interventions drawn from trauma treatment, EMDR, and parts work to help clients move from survival to integration.

Course Objectives

1) Describe how unresolved grief, trauma, family-of-origin patterns, and attachment wounds manifest as “ghosts” that interfere with clients’ progress. 2) Identify dissociative responses, nervous system shutdowns, present-day triggers, and avoidance behaviors that create “zombie-like states” and disrupt clients’ daily functioning and relationships. 3) Recognize protective parts, blocking beliefs, and negative cognitions that function as “shadow states” and sabotage growth.

Instructor: Michelle Risser, LISW

Michelle Risser is a licensed therapist, speaker, and educator on topics related to mental health, chronic stress and trauma. Michelle works in private practice in the Columbus, Ohio area and is an EMDRIA-approved EMDR Consultant. Her clinical focus areas are maternal/ perinatal mental health, birth trauma, and EMDR Intensives. In addition to her clinical work, Michelle has a passion for supporting other clinicians through clinical and business consultation and coaching. Michelle lives with her family in Central Ohio, is a cat lady with no cats, and is obsessed with knitting.

Live, Online Webinar Oct 31, 2025 🎃 12-2pm ET on Zoom Course Agenda

12:00 – 12:15 Welcome & Orientation Entering The Haunted Therapy Room Warm-up: “Which hauntings show up most in your office?” 12:15 – 12:45 Ghosts: The Past That Won’t Rest Unresolved grief, trauma, family-of-origin patterns, and attachment wounds How “ghosts” disrupt progress and relationships Clinical approaches including EMDR, genogram mapping, and attachment strategies 12:45 – 1:15 | Zombies: Survival States and Dissociation Dissociation, nervous system shutdowns, trauma triggers, and avoidance How zombie states drain vitality and daily functioning Clinical approaches: recognizing freeze states, polyvagal-informed grounding, somatic activation, bilateral stimulation 1:15 – 1:45 | Shadows: Inner Parts That Sabotage Protective parts, blocking beliefs, negative cognitions and internal critics How shadow states sabotage therapy goals and keep clients in survival mode Clinical approaches: parts work, self-compassion, Blocking Beliefs questionnaire 1:45 – 2:00 | Integration & Closing Weaving together ghosts, zombies, and shadows as interconnected emotional states Guided visualization: Meeting your ghost — what does it want you to know? Key takeaways for clinical practice Q&A

Course Registration

Deadline for registration is 09/15/2025. Cancellations must be received 48 hours prior to event for a full refund. Full attendance and evaluation are required for CE credit.

CE Information

Upon completion of this course and evaluation, you will receive 1 clinical CE. Your certificate will be available upon completion of the evaluation and post-test when necessary (for on-demand courses). Strongblossom, Inc. is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Additional Info:

For ADA accommodations, questions, concerns and grievances, please contact Michelle Risser at [email protected].

Curriculum

2 Chapters · 2 Lessons

  1. 1

    Zoom Meeting Link

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      Join the Zoom Meeting

  2. 2

    Course Evaluation

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      Please complete the course evaluation after you have attended the training. Thank you!