Primal Trust^™ Practitioner Education Series

Syllabus and Program Overview

Nervous System Regulation, Brain Retraining, and Trauma-Informed Chronic Illness Care

Program Type: Educational Series (Non-Certification)

Format: Online, on-demand video instruction with downloadable materials

Total Modules: 8

Total Instructional Time: 7 hours, 53 minutes

Level of Instruction: Intermediate to Advanced

Intended Audience: Licensed healthcare practitioners

The Primal Trust^™ Practitioner Education Series provides an integrative, science-informed framework for understanding chronic illness through the lens of autonomic nervous system regulation. Many patients remain physiologically “stuck” despite appropriate medical or therapeutic care due to persistent threat signaling, limbic overactivation, impaired interoception, and stress-driven cellular defense responses rooted in Cell Danger Response Theory (CDR).

This course bridges systems biology, neurophysiology, Polyvagal Theory, trauma science, neuroplasticity, and somatic approaches to explain how regulation capacity influences immune, metabolic, endocrine, and inflammatory processes. Practitioners learn why safety signaling and body–brain feedback are foundational for treatment tolerance and recovery.

This program is educational in nature and does not train practitioners to deliver Primal Trust^™ as an intervention.

Target Competency Areas

This educational series supports development of competency in:

Autonomic nervous system physiology and regulation
Trauma-informed clinical conceptualization
Neuroplasticity and conditioned threat response literacy
Interoception, neuroception, and body–brain integration
Regulation-first case framing for complex chronic illness
Clinical sequencing and stabilization principles

Educational Objectives

Participants will be able to:

Explain how autonomic nervous system dysregulation contributes to chronic illness persistence
Describe Polyvagal Theory and autonomic state shifts in relation to symptom expression
Identify how trauma alters interoception, neuroception, and body–brain signaling
Recognize signs of limbic threat bias and maladaptive stress conditioning
Describe mechanisms of self-directed neuroplasticity and memory reconsolidation principles
Explain how somatic practices expand window of tolerance and autonomic flexibility
Understand the importance of clinical sequencing: safety and stabilization before deeper processing
Apply a regulation-first, trauma-informed conceptual framework to clinical care

Please note that our Practitioner Platform and Education Course is available only to licensed health practitioners, see our application linked above for accepted license types.

Module-by-Module Curriculum

Module 1: Foundations of Nervous System Regulation in Chronic Illness (1:02)

Introduces the autonomic nervous system as a regulatory control system influencing immune, metabolic, inflammatory, and endocrine processes. Reviews stress physiology models including General Adaptation Syndrome and Cell Danger Response Theory (CDR), and examines limbic system overactivation as a mechanism of symptom persistence. Emphasis is placed on systems biology and the role of autonomic dysregulation in treatment resistance.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

Describe the regulatory role of the autonomic nervous system in immune, endocrine, and metabolic function
Explain how chronic stress physiology and Cell Danger Response Theory contribute to persistent symptom states
Identify limbic system overactivation as a mechanism of treatment resistance
Summarize how nervous system dysregulation influences chronic illness trajectories

Module 2: Practitioner Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation in Clinical Care (1:07)

Explores the physiological concept of co-regulation, informed by Cell Danger Response Theory, and the influence of practitioner autonomic state on patient nervous system responses. Reviews therapeutic presence, practitioner self-regulation strategies, and the shift from a rescuer model toward patient empowerment and self-regulatory capacity. Frames practitioner state as a clinical variable.

Learning Objectives

Define co-regulation in a clinical context
Describe how practitioner autonomic state can influence patient physiology
Identify self-regulation strategies applicable before and during patient care
Explain the relationship between practitioner presence and patient empowerment

Module 3: Polyvagal Theory and Autonomic State Mapping (56:19)

Provides applied understanding of Polyvagal Theory, neuroception, and autonomic state shifts. Practitioners learn to interpret symptoms, behaviors, and reactivity as state-dependent physiological responses and to identify autonomic markers in chronic illness presentations.

Learning Objectives

Describe the three primary autonomic states outlined in Polyvagal Theory
Explain the concept of neuroception and its relevance to symptom expression
Identify clinical signs associated with sympathetic and dorsal vagal activation
Apply state-based conceptualization to patient symptom interpretation

Module 4: Vagus Nerve Function and Bottom-Up Regulation Pathways (59:22)

Examines vagal neurophysiology, including afferent and efferent signaling pathways, brainstem regulation, and autonomic flexibility. Covers bottom-up regulatory approaches including breath, eye-based neurological input, and sound-based modulation for parasympathetic engagement and safety signaling.

Learning Objectives

Describe afferent and efferent vagal signaling pathways
Explain the role of the vagus nerve in parasympathetic regulation
Identify bottom-up approaches that influence autonomic state
Summarize mechanisms through which breath, eye, and sound inputs affect regulation

Module 5: Neuroplasticity, Limbic Threat Bias, and Brain Retraining Principles (1:04)

Introduces mechanisms of self-directed neuroplasticity, memory reconsolidation concepts, and limbic threat prediction models. Reviews how chronic symptoms may be maintained through conditioned threat associations and expectation loops. Presents the Primal Trust^™ ABC model as an educational framework for state-shifting and cognitive–somatic integration.

Learning Objectives

Define neuroplasticity and its relevance to symptom persistence
Describe how conditioned threat patterns can maintain chronic symptoms
Explain the concept of limbic threat bias
Identify components of the ABC model as a framework for state-shifting

Module 6: Somatic Practices and Interoceptive Restoration (54:24)

Explores interoception, insular cortex function, and body–brain feedback disruption in trauma and chronic stress. Reviews somatic methods that increase interoceptive accuracy, expand window of tolerance, and restore autonomic flexibility. Emphasizes regulation capacity and symptom modulation.

Learning Objectives

Define interoception and its neuroanatomical correlates
Describe how trauma disrupts body–brain feedback
Identify somatic practices that support autonomic flexibility

Module 7: Trauma Physiology, ACEs Research, and Clinical Sequencing (56:05)

Reviews trauma’s impact on autonomic regulation and stress physiology, including ACEs research and dose-response health risk patterns. Emphasizes stabilization, pacing, and the importance of regulation capacity before exposure-based or cognitive processing.

Learning Objectives

Describe how trauma influences autonomic regulation
Summarize findings from ACEs research relevant to chronic illness
Explain the rationale for stabilization prior to deeper processing

Module 8: Integration, Identity, and Sustained Regulation Capacity (52:52)

Focuses on long-term autonomic flexibility, behavioral integration, and identity-related patterns that influence regulation sustainability. Reviews transition from symptom-focused care to capacity-based healing, including lifestyle alignment and maintenance of regulation under stress.

Learning Objectives

Define regulation capacity as a functional outcome
Describe factors that support sustained autonomic flexibility
Explain the relationship between identity patterns and regulation sustainability
Summarize principles of capacity-based healing

Didactic video lectures
Guided experiential demonstrations
Downloadable practitioner handouts
Knowledge checks and reflection prompts

Participants must:

View all 8 modules in full
Complete course knowledge checks and reflections
Submit course evaluation

Please note that our Practitioner Platform and Education Course is available only to licensed health practitioners, see our application linked above for accepted license types.

Instructor

Dr. Cathleen King, DPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy, Nervous System Expert, Founder & CEO of the Primal Trust^™ Academy & Community

Dr. Cathleen King is an expert in neuroplasticity education, mind-body healing methods, trauma neurophysiology, and emotional regulation practices. Through both professional training and lived experience healing from complex trauma and chronic illness, Dr. King teaches brain retraining and nervous system regulation as foundational to recovery. She is the founder of the Primal Trust^™ Academy & Community.

Disclosures

This program is for educational purposes only and does not provide certification or authorization to deliver Primal Trust^™ as a treatment. Content is intended to support professional knowledge within each participant’s licensed scope of practice.

No relevant financial conflicts of interest to disclose.

Primal Trust™ Practitioner Education Series

Syllabus and Program Overview

Nervous System Regulation, Brain Retraining, and Trauma-Informed Chronic Illness Care

Target Competency Areas

Educational Objectives

Module-by-Module Curriculum

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Instructor

Dr. Cathleen King, DPT

Disclosures

Daily Regulate™

Sources

Primal Trust^™ Practitioner Education Series

Daily Regulate^™