April 2026 Hybrid Cohort Overview

This unique offering of Deb's flagship training series combines the depth of the online Foundations training with the embodied experience of an in-person retreat in beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.


Online Training: April 10-September 18, 2026

This cohort begins with a comprehensive and immersive online learning experience designed to build foundational knowledge in Polyvagal Theory and foster clinical confidence and skill in applying the theory to your work with clients, using Deb's renowned polyvagal-guided framework and practices.

The online component includes:
• 5 in-depth self-study modules with video content and downloadable materials
• 4 live large group sessions led by Deb's senior trainers (Modules 1–4)
• 4 small-group consultation sessions with the training team consultants
• 2 live 90-minute Q&A sessions with Deb Dana

Please note: The module five live session will be held during the in-person retreat, where participants will engage in additional experiential practices and deepen their integration of the training.


In-Person Retreat: October 2–4, 2026

Following the online training component, the cohort will gather in person for a 2.5-day retreat led by the senior trainers and consultants, held at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In this beautiful setting, participants will connect with the energy of the land and explore the embodied practice of Polyvagal Theory through shared practice, reflection, and connection.

You'll engage in the language of Polyvagal Theory, explore concrete strategies to support yourself and your clients, and deepen your lived experience of your unique nervous system. All held in community, curiosity, and fellowship.

This retreat offers a unique opportunity to:
• Practice the language and principles of Polyvagal Theory
• Engage in concrete, experiential exercises to support regulation for yourself and your clients
• Deepen your understanding and lived experience of your own nervous system
• Learn together and connect in fellowship with your cohort of like-minded peers


For a full overview of the Foundations of Polyvagal Informed Practice clinical training series visit: https://rhythmofregulation.com/foundations

Training Schedule: Online Sessions & Retreat

All times are listed in Atlantic Standard Time (AST)


Online Training Schedule

Friday, April 10, 2026  10:00 AM – 12:00 PM AST  Live-Online
Introduction & Orientation
Begin the paradigm shift to viewing through the lens of the nervous system. Meet the training and consulting team, connect with your cohort, and explore how the structure of the training supports both personal and professional integration of Polyvagal Theory.


Friday, April 24, 2026  10:00 AM – 1:00 PM AST  Live-Online
Module 1 – Getting to Know the Nervous System
Explore the autonomic hierarchy and the essential role of ventral vagal regulation. Begin the process of befriending your own nervous system.


Friday, May 1, 2026  10:00 AM – 11:30 AM AST  Live-Online
Live Q&A Call #1 with Deb Dana
Engage with Deb Dana around your learning journey and the clinical application of Polyvagal Theory.


Friday, May 8, 2026  Varying one-hour time slots  Live-Online
Small Group Consultation #1
Review the Personal Profile Map and discuss Module 1 content with time for Q&A.


Friday, May 22, 2026  10:00 AM – 1:00 PM AST  Live-Online
Module 2 – Autonomic Protection and Connection
Learn about neuroception and the social engagement system as pathways of protection and connection.


Friday, June 5, 2026  Varying one-hour time slots  Live-Online
Small Group Consultation #2
Review the Triggers and Glimmers Map and discuss Module 2 content with time for Q&A.


Friday, July 3, 2026  10:00 AM – 1:00 PM AST  Live-Online
Module 3 – Resourcing Regulation
Explore autonomic rupture and repair, and discover practices to anchor in regulation.


Friday, July 31, 2026  Varying one-hour time slots  Live-Online
Small Group Consultation #3
Review the Regulating Resources Map and discuss Module 3 content with time for Q&A.


Friday, August 21, 2026  10:00 AM – 11:30 AM AST  Live-Online
Live Q&A Call #2 with Deb Dana
Engage with Deb Dana around your learning journey and the clinical application of Polyvagal Theory.


Friday, August 28, 2026  10:00 AM – 1:00 PM AST  Live-Online
Module 4 – Navigating the Hierarchy
Focus on the movement between autonomic states and explore strategies to increase flexibility and regulation.


Friday, September 18, 2026  Varying one-hour time slots  Live-Online
Small Group Consultation #4
Review shaping strategies and discuss Module 4 content with time for Q&A.



In-Person Retreat Schedule – Halifax, Nova Scotia

Atlantic School of Theology

Friday, October 2, 2026  9:30 AM – 5:00 PM AST (2-hour lunch break)
Saturday, October 3, 2026  9:30 AM – 5:00 PM AST (2-hour lunch break)
Sunday, October 4, 2026  9:30 AM – 12:00 PM AST

The Foundations Training Series Curriculum

    1. Welcome to Foundations

    1. Navigating the Learning Platform

    2. Training Structure and General Information

    3. Training Schedule

    4. Trainers and Consultants List

    5. Cohort Participant List

    1. Survey Information

    2. Pre-Series Survey

    1. Diversity Made Simple with Lambers Fisher, LMFT

    1. Module 1 Roadmap

    1. Polyvagal Theory: A Primer

    2. The Autonomic Hierarchy

    3. Adversity History, Mental Health, and Covid-19

    4. Finding Ventral in the Time of Covid-19

    5. Beginners Guide

    6. Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety

About this course

Payment Options

Pay the full enrollment fee upfront or split the payments across four monthly installments. All prices are in USD.

Please Note: The registration fee of $2000 USD covers all training components but does not include travel or accommodations for the in-person retreat.

We recognize that financial circumstances and access to learning vary across our global community. To help make the Foundations training more accessible, we offer a limited number of partial scholarships for those facing financial hardship or who might otherwise be unable to participate.

Click here to apply for a scholarship

Meet Your Senior Trainers

Senior Trainer Tove Borgendale, LMT

Tove Borgendale, LMT has over 25 years of experience working with complex and preverbal trauma and takes a holistic approach to healing body/mind/spirit and heart. She is licensed as a massage therapist with a focus in developmental and strain trauma as it relates directly to befriending, honoring and trusting our bodies. In addition to multiple hands-on modalities, Tove draws upon Barbara Brennan energy healing, Nondual Kabbalistic Healing, Nondual Shamanism, and The Polyvagal Theory in her work with clients. Tove is a mother, a visual artist, and a teacher of Nondual Shamanism, as well as multiple topics in The Polyvagal Theory, including assisting Deb Dana in her Rhythm of Regulation and Foundations Trainings. She loves helping people become more fully themselves.

Senior Trainer Dawn Wilcox, LCSW

Dawn Wilcox, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private practice located in New Jersey. She specializes working with children, teens and families, specifically in the areas of developmental trauma and attachment trauma. Dawn is currently residing in England and has a private practice located in Richmond. Dawn is an accredited member of The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), England. Dawn is an approved New Jersey Clinical Supervisor and an EMDRIA approved Consultant. Dawn is trained in Sand Play Therapy, Internal Family Systems Therapy, and Body-Oriented Coaching. She is an approved provider for the Safe and Sound Protocol and earned her Traumatic Stress Studies Certificate through the Trauma Research Foundation. Dawn is passionate about teaching and supporting others to bring Polyvagal Theory into their own clinical practice and personal space. Polyvagal Theory is at the foundation of Dawn’s clinical practice and is the lens in which she views herself, others and the world.

Meet Your Consultants

Consultant Monica Bhatara MA, MTC, RCS, FOTT, BCRPT, CSPT

Monica Bhatara is a seasoned trauma therapist with over 25 years of experience in front-line, clinical, and leadership roles. Based in Chilliwack, BC, she supports children and adults through an integrative approach rooted in somatic, play, and expressive therapies. Informed by Indigenous Psychology and Polyvagal Theory, Monica understands trauma as the nervous system’s adaptive response to threat—shaped and transmitted across generations. This perspective grounds her intergenerational and body-based practices, helping clients reconnect with safety, regulation, resilience, and survivance. She believes healing is relational, emerging through connection, co-regulation, and compassionate presence. Monica is also a dedicated trainer and consultant, passionate about supporting clinical and community practitioners in building nervous system-informed confidence, clarity, and skill in trauma-responsive care.

Consultant Ashley Broderick, MSW RSW

Ashley Broderick is a Clinical Social Worker and somatic therapist with over a decade of experience supporting nervous system regulation and trauma healing. She resides on unceded Mi’kmaq territory (Woodpoint, New Brunswick) and has worked extensively in community mental health settings. Ashley now offers therapy to adults in private practice, with a focus on healing from single-incident and prolonged traumatic stress. With advanced training in Somatic Experiencing and Polyvagal Theory, her therapeutic approach blends science with compassion, making nervous system concepts accessible and deeply human. Ashley is passionate about helping people understand how their bodies respond to life—inviting greater self-awareness, connection, and healing. Whether you're a clinician or simply curious about how the nervous system shapes daily life, her approach fosters safety, curiosity, and embodiment. Through education, reflection, and relational presence, she creates space for meaningful change rooted in co-regulation and self-trust.

Consultant Melissa Burgess Moser, Ph.D., L.Psych.

Melissa Burgess Moser, Ph.D., L.Psych., is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of adult survivors of childhood abuse and engaging couples in therapy where one or both partners have a history of trauma. Melissa has training in trauma-focused, evidence-based treatment approaches, Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, and Developmental Couple Therapy for Complex Trauma. Her clinical approach is firmly rooted in attachment theory, she works from a Polyvagal Theory lens and is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Polyvagal approaches have allowed Melissa a deeper understanding of how nervous systems respond to traumatic events and how to assist in the re-shaping of nervous systems towards recovery. Deb Dana’s clinical application of Polyvagal Theory has been transformative in both Melissa's personal and professional life. She is excited to assist others in learning this compassionate and accessible treatment framework.

About Deb

Founder & Developer Deb Dana, LCSW

Deb Dana, LCSW, is a clinician, consultant, author and speaker specializing in complex trauma. Her work is focused on using the lens of Polyvagal Theory to understand and resolve the impact of trauma and in creating ways of working that honor the role of the autonomic nervous system. Deb’s work shows how an understanding of PVT is applicable across the board to relationships, mental health, and trauma. She delves into the intricacies of how an understanding and befriending of our nervous systems can change the ways we navigate our daily lives. Deb’s translation of PVT into a language that is both clear and accessible and her significant contribution, pioneering methods, tools, techniques and practices continue to help professionals and curious people from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life. Her valuable blueprint helps us to build resilience and find safety during the many ups and downs of life.

For a full overview of the Foundations of Polyvagal Informed Practice clinical training series visit: https://rhythmofregulation.com/foundations


Questions? Connect with us at:

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