Dr. Aline LaPierre is the creator of NeuroAffective Touch® and director of The NeuroAffective Touch® Institute. NeuroAffective Touch® is a somatic, neurologically informed psychotherapy that uses therapeutic touch as a vital psychobiological intervention.
Dr. LaPierre is past faculty in the somatic doctoral program at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute (2000-2010), a clinician, author, artist, consultant, speaker, and teacher. She is currently President of the United States Association of Body Psychotherapy (USABP) and Editor-in-Chief of the International Body Psychotherapy Journal (IBPJ).
Dr. LaPierre is the co-author of the bestselling Healing Developmental Trauma: How Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity for Relationship, a groundbreaking book in developmental psychology now available in fourteen languages.
In the field of somatics, she has studied Somatic Experiencing® (SE), Postural Integration, Cranio-Sacral Therapy (CST), Reichian Therapies, Bodynamics Analysis, Continuum, BodyMind Centering (BMC), and EMDR.
In the field of psychotherapy, Dr. LaPierre is a graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute, which intimately connected her with Jungian and Archetypal psychologies, and of The New Center for Psychoanalysis (NCP), focusing on the evolution of psychoanalysis from Object Relations to Relational and Inter-Subjective approaches. She was a member of the Allan Schore Affective Neuroscience study group for several years.
Dr. LaPierre is a Marriage and Family Therapist, California License 31838, and maintains a private practice in Brentwood~West Los Angeles.
Her current interests include developing NeuroAffective Touch® programs for couples and families.
Books by Dr. Aline LaPierre
Heller, L. and LaPierre, A. (2012)
Healing Developmental Trauma: How Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity for Relationship
North Atlantic Books | Buy
German: Kösel | Danish: Hans Reitzels Forlag | French: Dunod
Italian: Astrolabio Ubaldini | Spanish: Eleftheria | Czech: Fontána | Greek: Asimakis
Chinese | Japanese | Polish | Dutch
Audio CD, Tantor Audio
LaPierre, A. (2007)
Touch & Sexual Healing: Touch as the Primary Element of Sensual and Erotic Expression
eBook | Buy
LaPierre, A. (2007)
Touch as the Primary Element of Sexual and Erotic Expression
Chapter in J. Kuriansky (Series Ed.). M.S. Tepper & A. F. Owens (Vol. Eds.)
Sex, Love, and Psychology: Sexual Health, Vol I. Psychological Foundations
Praeger Publishing
Papers and Publications
LaPierre, A. (2015)
Relational Body Psychotherapy
International Journal of Body Psychotherapy, Fall 2015
LaPierre, A., Heller L. (2013)
Working with the Capacity for Connection in Healing Developmental Trauma
Hakomi Journal, January 2013
LaPierre, A. (2007)
The Language of Neuroception and the Bodily Self
Hakomi Forum, Issue 18, pp. 37-39
LaPierre, A. (2006)
Understanding the Mind-Brain and Nervous System Part III: Neuroscience in Somatic Psychotherapy
The USA Body Psychotherapy Journal, Volume 5:2, pp. 43-60
LaPierre, A. (2005)
Understanding the Mind-Brain and Nervous System Part II: Affective and Developmental Neuroscience
The USA Body Psychotherapy Journal, Volume 4:1, pp. 28-50
LaPierre, A. (2004)
Understanding the Mind-Brain and Nervous System Part I: A Neuroscience Digest (with a Primer of Terms and Concepts)
The USA Body Psychotherapy Journal, Volume 3:2, pp. 4-29
LaPierre, A. (2003)
From Felt-Sense to Felt-Self
Psychologist-Psychoanalyst, Volume XXIII
Journal of the American Psychological Association (APA)
LaPierre, A. (2003)
Body-Centered Publications Based on the Psychology of C.G. Jung
The USA Body Psychotherapy Journal, Volume 2:2, pp. 60-74
LaPierre, A. (1989)
Soul Roots
Psychological Perspectives: The Semi-Annual Journal of the C.G. Jung Institute Issue Twenty-One, pp. 130-139
LaPierre, A. (1987)
Lived Experience and Painting
Psychological Perspectives: The Semi-Annual Journal of the C.G. Jung Institute Volume 18:1, pp. 114-119
Rossi, E; Technical Illustrations by LaPierre, A. (1986)
The Psychobiology of Mind-Body Healing
W. W. Norton | View illustrations
Worked closely with Dr. Rossi to develop illustrations that conveyed the transduction of awareness between mind, body, and cellular levels
Memberships
CAMFT, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
LACPA, Los Angeles County Psychological Association
AAMFT, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
USABP, The United States Association for Body Psychotherapy
ABMP, Association of Bodywork and Massage Professionals
NCP, New Center for Psychoanalysis
Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner Membership Association
Education
2000-2007
New Center for Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles, California
Psychoanalysis
1999-2002
Ryokan College, Los Angeles, California
Doctoral Degree, Clinical Psychology
1988-1990
Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, California
Masters Degree, Counseling Psychology
1968-1972
Ecole des Arts Décoratifs, Strasbourg, France
Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking
1960-1964
Ottawa University, Ottawa, Canada
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy and Literature
Licenses & Certifications
2008
Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (SEP)
Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute (Foundation for Human Enrichment), Boulder, Colorado
2007
Psychoanalytic Associate
New Center for Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles, California
1994
Marriage and Family Therapist
California License 31838
1990
Postural Integration
The International Center for Release and Integration, San Francisco, California
Specialized Somatic Education
2003-2005
Somatic Experiencing® (SE™)
Peter Levine’s naturalistic approach to healing trauma
2001-2005
The Allan Schore Study Group
Affective neuroscience and early childhood development
1999-2004
Body-Mind Centering (BMC)
Bonnie Bainbridge’s experiential developmental anatomy
with Diane Elliott, certified BMC teacher
1999
Watsu Basics
Aquatic bodywork
1998-1999
Gyrotonic Expansion System and Yoga
Movement for energy flow
with Barbara Mueller, certified Gyrotonic teacher
1995-1997
Bodynamics Analysis
Developmental somatic psychology
with founder Lisbeth Marcher
1995
EMDR
Trauma resolution; Levels I and II
with founder Francine Shapiro
1993-1994
St. John Neuromuscular Therapy
Neurologically based bodywork Levels I, II, III, IV
1993
Ericksonian Hypnosis and Psychotherapy Fundamentals
Milton H. Erickson Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
1992
Cranio-Sacral Therapy
Upledger Institute
1992
Visceral Manipulation
Upledger Institute
1992
Zero Balancing
Upledger Institute
1992
Jin-Shin Jiutsu
Acupressure
1990
Reichian and Neo-Reichian Character Structure
BodyMind Institute, Los Angeles, California
1978-1982
Continuum
with Emilie Conrad Da’oud
