Trauma begins with triggers. This course explores how external and internal triggers activate survival responses before conscious reasoning occurs — and how unprocessed trauma shapes the relational patterns that follow.
Clinician-developed educational support. Courses can complement professional counseling, but do not replace it.
Trauma begins with triggers — external events like loss, threat, or confrontation, and internal experiences like fear, shame, bodily sensations, or emotional flooding. These activate survival responses before conscious reasoning can intervene.
Unprocessed trauma leads to maladaptive coping strategies. In relational systems shaped by repeated injury, these strategies often resemble Dark Triad dynamics: grandiosity to avoid shame, manipulation to avoid vulnerability, disregard for harm to avoid guilt. These are not merely moral failures — they are unintegrated trauma responses that temporarily regulate distress while causing long-term relational damage.
This course helps you identify your triggers, understand why your nervous system responds the way it does, and begin building the capacity for conscious, values-aligned response.
Foundational. Self-paced independent online learning — work at your own schedule in a sequence designed to build progressively from awareness to integration.
Rooted in Dr. Quinones' work in "The Bone-Yard Reckoning: Healing the Soul After Spiritual Devastation." This course applies trauma-informed frameworks to the lived experience of triggers and survival responses in relational systems.
Identify personal triggers — both external (loss, threat, confrontation) and internal (fear, shame, bodily sensations, emotional flooding).
Understand the neurobiology of trauma activation — how the body and brain respond before conscious reasoning occurs.
Recognize maladaptive coping patterns in yourself and in the relational systems you inhabit.
Differentiate between moral failure and unintegrated trauma responses — with compassion for self and others.
Develop foundational nervous system regulation skills that create space between trigger and response.
Create a personal trigger awareness and management plan for ongoing use beyond this course.
Dr. Quinones brings over 20 years of clinical experience at the intersection of trauma science and relationship recovery. Licensed in two states and a curriculum developer, she guides students from the moment they recognize the pattern through the difficult work of changing it. Her clinical expertise in trauma response, nervous system regulation, and relational systems informs every element of this course.
Each week builds on the last — from recognizing what triggers you, to understanding why, to building a path forward.
External and internal trigger identification — loss, threat, confrontation, fear, shame, bodily sensations, emotional flooding. How the brain and body respond before conscious reasoning can engage. The trigger-trauma cycle and why awareness is the first intervention.
Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses — what they are, why they exist, and how unprocessed trauma turns protective responses into default patterns. Polyvagal theory applied to relational experience. The window of tolerance.
How survival strategies that once protected us calcify into patterns that limit us. Recognizing maladaptive coping in self and in the relational systems around us. The gap between intention and impact when we are operating from survival mode.
Grandiosity, manipulation, and disregard for harm as trauma responses — not merely moral failures. How unintegrated trauma temporarily regulates distress while causing long-term relational damage. Identifying these dynamics in relationships with clarity and compassion.
Breaking the reactivity cycle. Moving from reactive to reflective — creating space between trigger and response. Beginning nervous system regulation practices. The difference between suppression and regulation.
Building new response patterns. Creating your personal trigger management plan. Self-assessment and integration of all course concepts. Preparing for continued growth and application beyond this course.
This course is part of a three-course series based on Dr. Quinones' book, The Bone-Yard Reckoning: Healing the Soul After Spiritual Devastation. Each course stands alone — and together they form a complete path through trauma, truth, and restoration.
Six weeks to understand your triggers, your survival responses, and the path from reaction to choice.
Enroll for $199This course is designed for individuals seeking structured, Christ-centered healing at their own pace — no therapist required.
Recommended as a between-session resource to deepen your therapeutic work. Pairs seamlessly with individual counseling.
Part of a progressive 8-course series ideal for structured, long-term healing — whether self-directed or therapist-guided.
⚠ This course is educational in nature and is not a substitute for licensed therapy or counseling. If you are in crisis, please contact your therapist or call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
Each module includes video lessons and/or text-based content, structured reflection exercises, and a certificate of completion. Most courses also include a downloadable workbook (PDF). Check the curriculum section above for the specific format of this course.
Lifetime access. Once you enroll, the course is yours — no expiration, no subscription. Return to any module at any time.
No. GraceRoot courses are psychoeducational resources — not therapy, not counseling, and not a clinical treatment. They are designed to educate, inform, and support your healing process. They complement professional counseling and are often used as between-session resources by clients already in therapy, but they do not replace licensed clinical care. If you are in crisis, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
Yes. Courses over $100 may offer a PayPal payment plan with $100 down with the remaining balance divided into 2 or 3 monthly payments. PayPal payment plans are charged at the full course price and cannot be combined with discount, cohort, or promo codes. Future access may be suspended if a PayPal installment fails or the plan is cancelled.
Contact us at support@graceroot.institute with refund inquiries. We handle each request individually and will work with you to find the right solution.
Dr. Donetta Quinones, PhD, LPC, LMHC, is the founder and Clinical Director of GraceRoot Institute and CEO of Academic Research Solutions, Inc. Her professional work integrates psychology, forensic psychology, human behavior consulting, relationship education, and faith-informed personal development.
Her academic background includes a PhD in Psychology from Walden University (conferred 2019), a Master of Science in General Psychology from Walden University, a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Her CV documents teaching and consulting experience through Academic Research Solutions, DISC-based human behavior instruction, academic and professional advising, community teaching, and program development focused on personal development, boundaries, relationships, fear of failure, mission, and faith-integrated growth.
No. Each course in the Speak to these Dry Bones series is designed as a standalone resource and can be taken independently. That said, the series builds progressively — concepts introduced early reappear and deepen in later courses. If you plan to complete the full series, starting with Triggers and Trauma Responses is recommended.
New courses are released on a rolling schedule throughout 2026. Visit the Courses page for the current catalog, or email support@graceroot.institute to be notified when new courses go live.
Still have questions? Email support@graceroot.institute — we respond within 24 hours.