The Trauma Therapist Episode 729: Healing Developmental Trauma using NARM with Laurence Heller, PhD
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May 29, 2023 Clinical psychologist Laurence Heller, PhD, discusses the development of NARM and its application in healing developmental trauma. The conversation touches on the evolution of therapeutic models, exploring anger and fear, and the importance of addressing unresolved issues in therapy.
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Gestalt Demo Sparked Clinical Path
- Heller recounts early exposure to Gestalt demonstrations that sparked his lifelong clinical curiosity.
- That immediacy and depth in experiential work drew him into psychotherapy and later model development.
Developmental Trauma Differs From Shock Trauma
- Laurence Heller distinguishes shock trauma from developmental (complex) trauma and emphasizes relational, chronic harms over single incidents.
- He highlights the body–mind functional unity and limits of purely top-down or purely bottom-up approaches.
Lessons From 1970s Somatic Catharsis
- Heller reflects on 1970s somatic cathartic methods and their risks, calling many regressive approaches destructive.
- He shifted to selective body-informed practices that respect clients' adaptive disconnections.