Neural Desensitization and Integration Training

Evidence-informed therapies for PTSD can be either rigid and prescriptive, making it difficult to stay client-centered, or largely theoretical, sometimes lacking in practical application.

Developed by neuroscientist and clinical psychologist Dr. Jennifer Sweeton, Neural Desensitization and Integration Training (NDIT) is a flexible, module-based, trauma-focused approach to PTSD that integrates elements from EMDR, multichannel eye movement integration, prolonged exposure, IFS, and cognitive behavioral therapies.

NDIT helps clients recover from post-trauma symptoms by specifically targeting and restoring the healthy functioning of these five key brain regions impacted by trauma :

  • The amygdala is involved in threat and danger detection, and is sometimes referred to as the “smoke detector” of the brain.

  • The hippocampus is involved in long-term memory storage, and memory consolidation.

  • The insula is the site of interoception, which is the ability to feel into one’s body and internal experiences.

  • The cingulate is the “self-regulation” area of the brain, and is involved in the regulation of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.

  • The prefrontal cortex is considered the main brain region for executive functioning, concentration, and problem-solving. Some subregions of the prefrontal cortex are involved in self-perception and social awareness.

Grounded in decades of both brain science and clinical research, NDIT is the first approach of its kind to bridge the gap between neuroscience and clinical practice.

NDIT consists of five distinct modules, each of which focuses on key skills associated with healthy brain change in specific brain regions. NDIT facilitates therapeutic brain change by teaching clients how to……

  • Enhance attunement and connection with others (using techniques targeting multiple brain regions),

  • Safely reconnect with their bodies (using insula-targeted techniques),

  • Regulate their nervous system (using amygdala-targeted techniques),

  • Strengthen their cognitive abilities (using cingulate and prefrontal cortex-targeted techniques), and

  • Gently process trauma in a titrated manner, minimizing re-traumatization (using hippocampus and prefrontal cortex-targeted techniques).

Additionally, NDIT focuses on what clients can do outside of therapy sessions to facilitate faster progress in therapy. NDIT modules are strategically sequenced to accelerate neuroplasticity, helping clients move with natural brain change, not against it.