Somatic Academy
The Defense Cascade - What if the Body Was Trying to Save You?
Introducing an in-depth program that invites participants to take a compassionate ride with our human DNA soup, as it does what it has always done: keep us alive in the face of rising demands.
Together, we will observe a sequence of predictable actions that we have become blind to today due to hyper-rationality that has failed to quarantine what that rationality rests upon: safety in the body.
As a result, the software we currently hand frontline defenders, as research and clinical experience clearly show, struggles to answer the question: What happens after fight/flight?
Through an evolutionary perspective that refreshingly roots itself in common sense rather than dogma, an empowering alternative to current mass-market approaches emerges. This opportunity is aided by zooming out to an intergenerational perspective, whilst also frequently zooming in to an uncommon all-access pass to lived experience, and filtering both perspectives via an evidence-first research approach.
By doing so, we recognise that, for example, the increasingly common conditions of ADHD, autism and panic disorder do not arrive overnight, nor even in one’s own lifetime. Field shares his own journey with all three diagnoses, but critically also the accumulation of an array of disorganised states such as school phobia, selective mutism, hyperhidrosis, anxiety, depression, burnout and unresolved trauma to emphasise the whispers that we are often deaf to, that finally force the body to shout.
A layer-by-layer investigation uncovers the latest in scientific discoveries, revealing how every single one of us responds to adversity, especially when faced alone:
The epigenetic modifications that are made in rapidly changing environments.
The raised safety thresholds that spill over past an individual’s lifetime.
The putting down of active responses and picking up of passive responses, logically carried out after we have normalised excessive loads placed upon a body.
By objectively viewing such a human story, we find that herding abrasive observations into labels can be replaced by understanding that at each step we are being handed a calling card, and by taking a body-led approach, we can finally listen to what is being asked:
To take our body to safety.
To recognise that safety depends on compassion.
To commit to relearning how to give and receive love so that we can prevent future abandonment.
A product of 15 years of research, this work is designed to hand tools to practitioners to enhance client outcomes, incentivise client retention, and ultimately offer a somatic roadmap we can all employ to reorient towards our highest expression.
Please note that while this is prepared for practitioners, curious individuals are welcome to enrol; however, it is highly recommended that you engage with this material as a complementary asset alongside your private therapy sessions.
FORMAT
A self-paced online delivery, designed to be consumed daily for 12 weeks. Videos are approximately 15 minutes long, facilitating our titration in confronting often emotionally arousing material. Viewing is available via desktop and mobile devices.
OUTCOMES
YOU WILL LEARN
The latest research findings on intergenerational trauma.
The latest research findings on epigenetic changes in response to cumulative lifetime adversity.
The latest research findings on the sequential implementation of survival responses by the body as non-safety remains persistent.
YOU WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO EXPLORE
A safety-in-the-body-first protocol and the tools that aid that goal.
A compassionate inquiry protocol that views mental well-being as collective and body-led rather than individual and cognitive.
How safety and compassion repair bodily vessels and, as a by-product, strengthen cognitive framework outcomes.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
"Listening to your [video] for the first time was such a powerful experience that I was moved to tears. It went beyond merely recognising myself in your story, it felt like coming home to the warm embrace of a fellow fighter who not only truly understands, but can also help in the struggle. You gave me hope. Thank you.” - Nora
“I not only work with vulnerable and divergent young people but am neurodivergent myself and have two teenage daughters who are neurodivergent also. Your work inspires me personally, as a parent and also in my work, supporting better mental health for all of us! You get it, and this is such a rarity, so thank you!” - Claire
"I started following Jason's work in 2022, and was often shocked at how closely I related to his experience. It therefore came as no surprise to discover we share a diagnosis of AuDHD. Jason's most recent work is not only profoundly inspiring, but presents a revolutionary view of ASD/ADHD which I believe will prove to be pivitol in AuDHD research for years to come. Thank you, Jason." - Fiona
"I've had anxiety and panic disorder my entire life, and now my PDA son suffers daily as well. We're still looking for answers having tried everything available in Western medicine. I have a science PhD, and your distillation of the data and physiology is appreciated. I'm hopeful that your work will finally guide us toward some peace." - Emilie
"Seeing anxiety as hypervigilence and your perspectives on how this cycles through our lives, along with your perseverance in exploring options to rebalance, free me to your work.“ - Viciki
CURRICULUM
SECTION 1
What if our stress response was socially determined?
Can epigenetic research link early adversity to adult outcomes?
How effective are current mass market approaches for panic disorder?
How effective are the latest body-led approaches for panic disorder?
Can an intergenerational perspective help us better understand the rise in ADHD/ASD?
SECTION 2
When are cognitive approaches retraumatising?
How do the physiological changes that occur in the brain after sustained stress impact treatment success?
How does a safety-first approach restore the body's function and increase the likelihood of treatment success?
What can inter-human transfers of states of arousal teach us about early life stress and ADHD/ASD diagnosis?
Can parent-centred interventions reduce ADHD/ASD behavioural problems in children?
How can we identify the freeze response and find targets to reduce its necessity for presentation?
How can we identify the shutdown response and what mediates our remobilisation?
How does the body shift resources during the transition in and out of passive defensive strategies?
What role does inflammation play in ADHD/ASD?
Can a multi-generational (3+) approach increase our understanding of ADHD/ASD?
How do men and women interact differently in their survival responses?
How does the endorphin system give us insight into where our highest expression resides, and what may be a prerequisite to us arriving there?
SECTION 3
Why do mass market approaches struggle when patients are suffering from dissociation? How do body-led approaches help solve this?
Why does GABA turn excitatory? What can we do to turn it back into our primary inhibitory neurotransmitter?
What does ‘secure attachment’ actually look like in the body and in the brain?
What role does a life history of parentification/parental marital dissatisfaction play in adult emotional distancing? How is this connected to later illness?
How are men and women designed to hand over specific skillsets to the next generation? What opportunities are available for us to rescue such a transfer once it has been interrupted?
How can the cortisol curve and body inflammation predict extreme political participation?
How can we understand selective mutism, hyperhidrosis and self-stimulation as rational survival responses?
How comparable are hormonal and neurotransmitter responses in ADHD/ASD to trauma responses?
How does the body carry out emotional suppression? How does compassion unwind this?
What chain of early life events increases the probability of adult panic disorder?
What causes the intense feelings of a panic attack, and how can we understand this as a call for collection, not catastrophizing?
Could executive function be dependent on safety in the body, and what evidence is there that body-led approaches can alter neural, hormonal and even respiratory patterns to bring about this safety?
MEET THE PRESENTER
Jason’s relatable and compassionate approach to restoring wellness is a reflection of his own life journey that has involved collecting a shopping list of life diagnoses that included:
Separation anxiety
Selective mutism
Hyperhidrosis
Anxiety
Depression
Addiction
Panic Disorder
c-PTSD
ADHD
ASD
He first put his hand up for help from mental health practitioners after a burnout from a private banking career. Unfortunately, the interventions' ineffectiveness set the stage for two more burnouts, at remarkably regular intervals.
Unsatisfied with the results from mainstream avenues, he broadened his vision, and thankfully, the cycle finally broke under the stewardship of his somatic Teacher. Consequently, what started as a cry for help would transform into a calling.
What began as a monthly newsletter evolved into retreats attended by curious individuals who shared a commitment to personal development. Unexpectedly, the work became widely in demand among practitioners who refused to ignore the gap between the software frontline defenders are given and patient outcomes.
Today, Jason’s passion for broadening access to somatic-based healing is focused on presenting body-led tools to the care industry whilst wrapping them in the modern language of science. The necessity and uniqueness of these efforts have established him as a highly sought-after voice worldwide.
Importantly, the term ‘cultural poverty’ has been embedded in his call for action. Extending past isolated cause, effect, care - the term captures how we have disconnected our ancestors’ cultural thumbdrive that was handed from generation to generation to help us make humans, heal humans, and remind us what predictable outcomes arise when we fail to adequately achieve both. In this light, the widespread diagnosis charts are viewed as a call to rebuild that toolkit and reorient our focus towards our highest expression: love.
His work is currently accessible via an online academy and a text resource that forms the backbone of his teachings: The Defense Cascade - What if the Body Was Trying to Save You? A product of 15 years of research and including over 1,600 research citations covering the most up-to-date insights of how human DNA soup responds to adversity, holds the debris of adversity, and releases the debris of that adversity.
The book is available to be read on its own or as an optional addition to the online program and is available exclusively to Amazon: Australia, USA, Canada, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Japan.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
Neither the publisher nor the presentor are engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual consumer. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this material are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the presenter nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arisen from any information or suggestion in this material.
This research uses an evidence-based approach to human DNA. In recent years, some segments of the global community have adopted a social justice worldview instead. Those utilising that lens may find this material distressing. Specifically, the topics of gender, neurodiversity and non-intact families are thoroughly explored:
Men and women often have opposite reactions to the same circumstances, and understanding these reactions helps tailor care to injured parties.
People diagnosed with ADHD/ASD are at a substantially higher risk of additional mental health diagnoses, as are their family members. Investigating areas of change is presented as a duty of care.
Adults from non-intact families frequently experience lower life outcomes. Unravelling the ‘hardware’ changes, such as brain development, hormonal and neurotransmitter alterations, is critical to assist in bridging gaps when such circumstances arise.