Introduction

Entering the Level 1 (the first 9 months) of residential trauma recovery is a major shift. When you are dealing with complex trauma, things like shutting down, acting out, or using other survival habits often feel like the only way to cope with big emotions. Getting rid of those old shields is hard, and it can bring your underlying trauma to the surface. This syllabus is your guide to feeling safe in your body, building a predictable routine, and learning how your brain and nervous system handle stress.

•  Feeling Safe in Your Body (Somatic Safety): Learn how to calm your body down when your emotions take over. Brain and body healing can feel like physical stress. Sometimes, releasing old trauma feels exactly like panic or high anxiety, which can bring back bad memories or body flashbacks. You will meet with a doctor and psychiatrist right away to see if any medications, vitamins, or supplements can help ease these physical feelings. Our main goal is to lower your physical stress and calm your nervous system so your body stops living in a constant fight-or-flight state.

•  Living Without the Shield: Learn to handle daily life without hiding from your feelings or disconnecting. When you stop using your old survival strategies, your protective walls disappear. This leaves your emotions feeling raw, and it might make you overreact to simple, everyday situations. You will connect immediately with a trauma therapist on campus who understands how to treat trauma, attachment struggles, and the specific challenges that young people face.

• Daily Connections and Support: Stop isolating yourself and lean on people who can help you heal.Trauma makes people want to hide, but healing happens when you connect with others. You must participate in at least one supportive connection every day. This includes spiritual groups, CVI Meetings, and regular check-ins with your coach or pastor.

•  Structuring Your Day: Use a daily schedule to calm your mind and organize your thoughts. When your inside thoughts feel chaotic, your outside world needs to be organized. You will write out an hour-by-hour schedule every single day using the templates provided to help manage flashbacks and intrusive thoughts. Predictable routines take the guesswork out of your day. This helps your brain move away from survival mode and toward healthy self-care and boundary setting.

•  Learning Your Triggers: Track what sets you off and understand how your nervous system works.You will learn to map out your specific triggers, including internal states like emotional flashbacks and external environments that make you feel unsafe. Intense waves of anger, anxiety, and sadness are normal brain adjustments, not personal failures. Learning this helps you stop the shame spirals that get in the way of your progress.

Expectations and Goals

Effort Over Perfection: We do not expect you to behave perfectly. We expect 

determination. Success here is measured by making small, daily 

improvements in how you handle stress. Feeling lonely, bored, or entirely still 

are high-risk zones for a traumatized brain. Keeping your schedule active, 

focused, and structured stops your mind from slipping backward into 

overthinking and constant worry.Your coaches and therapists are here for you 

24/7. When a day feels too heavy, your only job is to communicate and keep 

going.

Course materials

Required materials

· Bible

· Notebook

· Pen (s)

·  ID Badge

·  Physical Books for the reading assignments (NO AUDIO or E-BOOKS)

· Workbooks for Schedule, Food Log, Morning Journal, ADL’s, Mind Mapping, Bible Assignment, School Courses, and Film Reviews.

Optional materials

· Vitamins and Supplements (After consulting with a medical professional)