
Transforming Trauma
In-depth conversations about how to help individuals and communities thrive after Complex Trauma. In a modern world beset by trauma and a legacy of suffering, conflict and disconnection, healing trauma can serve as a vehicle for personal and social transformation. Interviews with mental health and other helping professionals who are using the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®), as well as other prominent trauma specialists, will highlight the current efforts to address the legacy of childhood, relational, cultural and intergenerational trauma. These leaders in the Trauma-Informed Care movement will guide listeners through the diverse ways they are supporting individuals, couples, families and communities in order to actualize Post-Traumatic Growth. Whether you are a healthcare professional, an educator, a parent, a public policy maker, a trauma survivor, or someone interested in personal healing and social justice; this podcast will provide you with a map for increased resiliency, greater health outcomes, healthier relationships, personal growth and social change through transforming trauma. Hosted by the Complex Trauma Training Center.
Latest episodes

7 snips
Sep 2, 2020 • 49min
Internal Family Systems (IFS) and NARM with Richard Schwartz and Laurence Heller
Listen to Richard Schwartz, founder of Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Laurence Heller, founder of NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), discuss the focus on the 'Self' in their models despite trauma. They emphasize the undamaged state of the Self and how both IFS and NARM support individuals in returning to their authentic selves for healing. The conversation delves into the similarities between the two models and their approach to addressing complex trauma.

Aug 19, 2020 • 41min
NARM and a Trauma-Informed, Anti-Oppressive, Relational Approach to Mental Wellness and Social Justice with Cassandra Walker
“One of the things I really like about NARM is the fact that there's this massive focus on connection and interconnectedness as something that can be healthy...That actually recognizes the fact that we as humans... we share a certain connectivity when we're at our best.” ~Cassandra Walker Host Sarah Buino is joined by Cassandra (Cassie) Walker, LCSW (they/them), a Black, queer, activist, entrepreneur, and NARM Master Therapist-in-Training located in Chicago, Illinois. They discuss growth that’s possible throughout the trauma healing process, how the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) supports the resolution of complex trauma issues including systemic and racial trauma, and the critical need for more understanding of intersectionality in the therapeutic field. Cassie takes an anti-oppressive, anti-racist, trauma-informed, relational approach to discussing identity, trauma, mental wellness, and social justice. They highlight the need to address how the legacies of slavery and other unresolved cultural and historical trauma continue to impact current events and social structures. From the levels of societal institutions to our internal experiences, Cassie shares how NARM supports their understanding of how trauma-based adaptive patterns, once needed for surviving familial, cultural, and systemic trauma, lead to perpetuating cycles of oppression and pain. Through providing therapy and education that focuses on embracing compassion, accountability, and authenticity, Cassie hopes to help people open themselves and their organizations to changes that improve personal awareness and institutional inclusion. Sarah and Cassie explore NARM's ability to focus beyond the individual and recognize and address the historically minimized or outright denied layers of intergenerational pain. Cassie shares, “The culture of Whiteness is built on creating coalitions to oppress and thus also disconnects white people from their heritage. And so that's part of how we're all getting screwed.” This episode also explores the role that community and spirituality play in both NARM philosophy and Black identity. Cassie reflects on the social, emotional, and spiritual need for connectedness, which is an organizing principle of NARM. Cassie shares their perspective that white supremacy and capitalism have disconnected all people - Black, Indigenous, POC, and White - from their authenticity, and that NARM provides a hopeful approach to help restore connection to self and others through focusing on healing complex trauma. CONNECT WITH CASSANDRA WALKER: Intersections Center For Complex Healing LinkedIn Patreon Intersections FB https://www.facebook.com/IntersectionsCCH/ Twitter https://twitter.com/MentalWoke *** NARM Online Basics Training begins November 13, 2020. REGISTER NOW Online NARM Basics Training: http://www.narmtraining.com/onlinebasics *** NARM Training Institute http://www.NARMtraining.com *** The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources. For the full show notes including references, podcast episodes mentioned, and a quick glossary of terms, visit us at http://www.narmtraining.com/transformingtrauma *** We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining Twitter @NARMtraining YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute

Aug 5, 2020 • 45min
Healing the Wounds of Complex Religious Trauma with Jenny Winkel
“NARM is not a protocol, it's a relational model, and the reason why that's important to know is because humans are designed to heal in relationship.” ~ Jenny Winkel Our host Sarah Buino is joined by Jenny Winkel, MA, LMT, SEP, and NARM Practitioner based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Within her private practice, Jenny works with many forms of Complex Trauma (C-PTSD), with a particular interest in religious trauma. Throughout the episode, they discuss how the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) can lead to a greater understanding of the complexities of religious trauma, a form of trauma that is often misunderstood, minimized, or dismissed. Jenny shares that NARM is so well-suited for healing religious trauma because of how well the model holds complexity. Her affinity for the NARM approach came out of her journey to heal her own complex and religious trauma. Sarah and Jenny discuss what fundamentalist religion looks like, and the impacts it often has on individuals. Through her own experiences, as well as her clients, Jenny shares how she has come to understand that fundamentalist communities and families can be sources of comfort, refuge, and love, while also being sources of terror and trauma. Jenny champions NARM for its ability to restore autonomy, agency, and reestablish the foundational relationship to Self. "When you work with a wise and seasoned [NARM] therapist or practitioner, you can feel that... they're not taking sides," she says. "They're helping you navigate that interiority." The episode concludes with a story from Jenny's practice, a beautiful example of the mind-body connection and the healing power of NARM in addressing complex attachment wounds. CONNECT WITH JENNY WINKEL Salt City Bodyworks *** NARM Online Basics Training begins November 13, 2020. REGISTER NOW Online NARM Basics Training: http://www.narmtraining.com/onlinebasics *** NARM Training Institute http://www.NARMtraining.com *** The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources. For the full show notes including references, podcast episodes mentioned, and a quick glossary of terms, visit us at http://www.narmtraining.com/transformingtrauma *** We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining Twitter @NARMtraining YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute

Jul 22, 2020 • 44min
The Role of Healing Complex Trauma in Supporting Adolescents and Their Families with Leslie Filsinger
“So from that lens of looking at trauma as anything less than nurturing, we all have wounding and I think that actually creates the platform for understanding the kinds of work that NARM does.” ~Leslie Filsinger Our host Sarah Buino is joined by Leslie Filsinger, NARM therapist and Clinical Director at Spring Ridge Academy in Spring Valley, Arizona. They talk about how the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) supports the healing of developmental and complex trauma in adolescents, how adolescents can learn to develop their voice to find their internal truth, and how understanding complex trauma can create more compassion and grace within families. Spring Ridge Academy is a private, all-girls therapeutic boarding school specializing in treating young women and their families in overcoming the impact of emotional and developmental injuries. Families often come to Spring Ridge Academy overwhelmed by fear, hopelessness and despair regarding their children. Leslie shares how she and her team meet the families with compassion and understanding, but also using psychoeducation around Complex Trauma to support greater health within the family system. Leslie describes the importance of therapists and other helping professionals in shifting away from the focus of fixing behaviors and instead bringing greater understanding to what is driving these maladaptive behaviors. Instead of meeting adolescents with the pressure to change, meeting them with curiosity, patience, understanding and compassion. At the same time, Leslie reminds us that as therapists, we are not the ones creating the change for these young women and their families, and not to overlook the strong intention of adolescents in connecting to their own will to heal and grow. Leslie also reminds us that true change does not come from the outside, and as a NARM Therapist she focuses on respecting and reinforcing her clients’ developing Adult Consciousness. As Leslie says, “We don’t [want to do the work] for them… we create the space and allow them to connect with their own internal truth.” *** NARM Online Basics Training begins November 13, 2020. REGISTER NOW Online NARM Basics Training: http://www.narmtraining.com/onlinebasics *** NARM Training Institute http://www.NARMtraining.com *** The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources. For the full show notes including references, podcast episodes mentioned, and a quick glossary of terms, visit us at http://www.narmtraining.com/transformingtrauma GUEST BIO: Leslie has been a practicing therapist for over 35 years and has worked in outpatient and residential settings as well as private practice. She is the Clinical Director at Spring Ridge Academy in Spring Valley, Arizona, a private, all girl's therapeutic boarding school specializing in treating young women and their families in overcoming emotional and developmental injury. Leslie is also a certified Clinical Supervisor. Leslie is also a NARM practitioner and co-training assistant, committed to assisting others in understanding the impact of developmental, attachment and relational trauma. springridgeacademy.com Leslie Filsinger on LinkedIn *** We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining Twitter @NARMtraining YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute

Jul 8, 2020 • 42min
Compassion Prison Project: Bringing Trauma-informed Care into the Prison System with Fritzi Horstman
“When people start realizing they're traumatized, they forgive themselves. They need to start there. And that shame just goes away. That shame dissolves.” ~Fritzi Horstman Our host Sarah Buino is joined by Fritzi Horstman, Founder and Executive Director of the Compassion Prison Project. Through her work, Fritzi aims to bring trauma-informed care to a population in high need of trauma healing and not likely to receive it: men and women in prison. Sarah and Fritzi discuss Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), how childhood trauma impacts people who are incarcerated, and how trauma awareness can support prison reform. Throughout their conversation, they talk about how both the Compassion Prison Project and the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) work to dismantle shame, humanize individuals, and heal complex trauma. The Compassion Prison Project’s important mission is to “bring compassion, childhood trauma awareness, and creative inspiration to the men and women living behind bars”. Earlier this year, they released a documentary, “Step Inside The Circle”, which depicts what Fritzi calls the Compassion Trauma Circle. 235 incarcerated men at a maximum security prison in Lancaster, CA form a circle and for each Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) read aloud by Fritzi that they’ve experienced, they take one step forward into the circle. Step Inside The Circle highlights that childhood trauma is a shared experience of most people who are incarcerated. Fritzi says, “our pain is shared, and almost all of us have been victims of inhumanity and violence.” Sarah asks Fritzi, “what do you imagine a trauma-informed prison system to look like?” Fritzi shares that a trauma-informed prison would be a center for rehabilitation and healing that supports people to change the underlying behaviors that were created originally by trauma. She envisions a system that helps vulnerable individuals build a bridge back to society, and most importantly, would return them back to their community as a human, and “not the felon, not the criminal that you know, but the human that [they] are.” Fritzi Horstman is the Founder and Executive Director of Compassion Prison Project. She is a Grammy-award winning producer for her work on “The Defiant Ones”, has been a producer and post-producer on dozens of television projects and documentaries and has directed several films. She believes it is urgent to bring humanity and compassion to those living behind bars and these acts will help transform our society. She has a Bachelor's Degree from Vassar College. CONNECT WITH THE COMPASSION PRISON PROJECT Compassion Prison Project Instagram *** NARM Training Institute http://www.NARMtraining.com The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources. For the full show notes including references, podcast episodes mentioned, and a quick glossary of terms, visit us at http://www.narmtraining.com/transformingtrauma *** We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining Twitter @NARMtraining YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute Learn more about The NARM Training Institute: http://www.narmtraining.com Sign up for a free preview of The NARM Inner Circle Online Membership Program: http://www.narmtraining.com/freetrial

Jun 24, 2020 • 41min
Strange Situation: A Journey into Understanding Attachment, Motherhood and Developmental Trauma with Bethany Saltman
“If we accept where we are, then we can actually manage our neurosis and we can be kinder, we can be more attuned, we can be better parents, and we can be better parents to ourselves.” ~Bethany Saltman Our host Sarah Buino welcomes author Bethany Saltman to share the lessons she learned while writing Strange Situation: A Mother’s Journey Into The Science Of Attachment. Bethany and Sarah explore the different roles that curiosity, delight, anxiety, shame, and acceptance play when looking at parent-child attachment, and ultimately one’s connection to themselves. Bethany’s journey of researching and ultimately writing about attachment theory began when she became a mother. Motherhood can unleash a wide-range of emotions for many new mothers. For Bethany, she was surprised by the duality of feeling an unwavering maternal love for her new baby, while also experiencing strong resentment, anger, and pain in motherhood. After jumping at the opportunity to write a column for a local magazine about being a Buddhist mother, she embarked on a 10-year quest to understand her struggles. This led Bethany to delve into the world of attachment theory - one of the cornerstones of the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) in addressing Complex Trauma. Her research on attachment led her to the works of the late Mary Ainsworth, a developmental psychologist and attachment researcher. In the 1970s, Ainsworth devised a study to observe attachment between children and their caregivers. Dubbed the ‘Strange Situation’, the study is, as Bethany describes it, an elegant formulation of how attachment systems work. Sarah and Bethany discuss the connection between Ainsworth’s Strange Situation narrative and NARM’s core teachings about attachment, relational, and developmental trauma. NARM therapy supports the connection within a person to themselves, which in turn allows for deeper connection to others. Bethany, who shares openly that she is a client of NARM Therapy, reports her embodied learning that “the other side of shame is radical acceptance.” This honest and moving conversation weaves together exploration of self-inquiry, self-love, and how to take a second look at shame in order to heal from developmental trauma. Bethany Saltman is an author, award-winning editor, and researcher. Her work can be seen in magazines like the New Yorker, New York Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, Parents, and many others. Strange Situation: A Mother’s Journey Into the Science of Attachment, published in April 2020 by Random House, is her first book. CONNECT WITH BETHANY Bethany Saltman LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Strange Situation Book RESOURCES MENTIONED NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) Peter Levine, PhD William Sears, MD Mary Ainsworth, PhD Mary Main, PhD Howard Steele, PhD & Miriam Steele, PhD Dan Siegel, PhD *** Secure your spot today. NARM Online Basics Training begins on June 26, 2020 REGISTER NOW Online NARM Basics Training: http://www.narmtraining.com/onlinebasics *** NARM Training Institute http://www.NARMtraining.com *** The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources. For the full show notes including references, podcast episodes mentioned, and a quick glossary of terms, visit us at http://www.narmtraining.com/transformingtrauma *** We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining Twitter @NARMtraining YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute

Jun 12, 2020 • 57min
Post-traumatic Growth in Communities of Color and NARM in the Classroom with Giancarlo Simpson
“I really think it is important for us to really address our internal biases, call it out for what it is and ask yourself at that point, do we care to actually be better or do we care to stay the same?” ~Giancarlo Simpson, MS Transforming Trauma host Sarah Buino and guest Giancarlo A. Simpson, MS, reconnect in the wake of George Floyd’s death and the nationwide protests against racial violence and systemic oppression, providing real-time context to their previously-recorded conversation about NARM’s ability to address complex trauma and support post-traumatic growth in communities of color. Giancarlo shares with listeners that now is the time to look inward, to be vulnerable, to listen to others, to address our internal biases, and to actively work to be anti-racist. In their discussion both Giancarlo and Sarah provide resources on Anti-Racist learning, which are available in this online guide. Recounting stories from his work as a therapist, mentor, and teacher of teens and young adults, Giancarlo centers the discussion on the corrosive effects of complex trauma, specifically within the Black community. “The system in itself needs to shift in order for people to feel comfortable about who they are as individuals, because right now what the system itself is telling people, communicating to people, is that you are not good enough, and that in itself is reinforcing a lot of thinking, a lot of behavior that occurs in these environments and communities, and makes it very hard for us to get out of that, because we don’t have enough individuals telling us otherwise, or showing us otherwise.” Giancarlo shares the ways he has begun using the NeuroAffective Relational Model, particularly in classrooms, to shift this implicit learning and the long-term effects of complex trauma, which includes the under-recognized impact of cultural, intergenerational, and racial trauma. Giancarlo reframes the current nationwide protests against racial violence and systemic oppression as protests against needs not being met for Black Americans. Communities are coming together to communicate about environmental changes needed in response to centuries of oppression and violence. Instead of using old stereotypes like “angry black man” and “angry black woman”, which shut down expression of authentic experience and make people feel bad for feeling, it is time for our culture to listen to and respect people’s experiences. Giancarlo suggests that our culture needs to do better in understanding the root causes for why the anger is occurring, instead of just focusing on behaviors - the outbursts, outcries, protests, violence, etc. All Americans need to listen to Black Americans, and not continue “minimizing the reasons why we feel the way we do, why we’re hurting, why we’re upset, what we’re lacking, the things we’re not receiving at the most basic human level.” While this discussion can make some uncomfortable, it is essential for transforming trauma and leading to a more just, humane and healthy society for us all. CONNECT WITH GIANCARLO A. SIMPSON: CMC Therapy RESOURCES MENTIONED: Right Of Passage Program Lynn University Family First Adolescent Services Jane Elliot, PhD White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard To Talk To White People About Racism - by Robin J.DiAngelo Decolonizing Therapy for Black Folk (event) Geonograms Dr. Laurence Heller, PhD *** Secure your spot today. NARM Online Basics Training begins on June 26, 2020 REGISTER NOW Online NARM Basics Training: http://www.narmtraining.com/onlinebasics *** NARM Training Institute http://www.NARMtraining.com *** The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources. For the full show notes including references, podcast episodes mentioned, and a quick glossary of terms, visit us at http://www.narmtraining.com/transformingtrauma *** We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining Twitter @NARMtraining YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute Sign up for a free preview of The NARM Inner Circle Online Membership Program: http://www.narmtraining.com/freetrial

Jun 9, 2020 • 24min
Become a NARM-Informed Professional with Dr. Laurence Heller and Brad Kammer
"In NARM, in the trainings, we have a real particular way of helping relieve that kind of [trauma]. First, bring it to the light. And then, help people find ways to release themselves from some of those most judging and self-projecting patterns." ~Dr. Laurence Heller Our need to understand and heal complex trauma has never been greater. Now, access to the NARM Training Institute’s powerful professional course has never been easier. In this episode, Transforming Trauma host Sarah Buino is joined by Dr. Laurence Heller, creator of the NeuroAffective Relational Model, and Brad Kammer, NARM Training Director, to introduce Online NARM Basics Training to the world. The trio discusses NARM’s transition from in-person seminars to virtual learning, touching on the training’s integration of cognitive and experiential knowledge, a unique feature in the online teaching space. Sarah, Larry, and Brad also review NARM’s organizing principles, including its heart-centered philosophy and support of trauma-care providers. The episode concludes with practical course details and registration information. Secure your spot today. NARM Online Basics Training begins on June 26, 2020 REGISTER NOW Online NARM Basics Training: http://www.narmtraining.com/onlinebasics *** NARM Training Institute http://www.NARMtraining.com *** The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources. For the full show notes including references, podcast episodes mentioned, and a quick glossary of terms, visit us at http://www.narmtraining.com/transformingtrauma *** We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining Twitter @NARMtraining YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute Sign up for a free preview of The NARM Inner Circle Online Membership Program: http://www.narmtraining.com/freetrial

Jun 5, 2020 • 22min
Addressing Systemic, Cultural, Racial, and Complex Trauma with Claude Cayemitte
We’re grateful to have Claude Cayemitte back with us to reflect on the current events emerging from the demonstrations against ongoing systemic, cultural, racial, and complex trauma. Transforming Trauma host Sarah Buino and Claude dive into the macro and micro perspectives of the traumatic response to long-term suffering that the black community, and other communities of color, have been dealing with for centuries. Claude shares his perspective, “Having these specific conversations about racism is a gateway into people’s interpersonal relationship to trauma… I think that’s the difference with this reaction. People are connecting emotionally to themselves while connecting also to the experiences of people of color.” Claude shares his thoughts on the importance of opening up a real dialogue around racial injustice and systemic oppression. “Even though it feels uncomfortable, that’s the opportunity for you to move to a different place, to respond differently, to grow. It’s like there’s so much opportunity in growth in talking about this topic, personally and professionally.” Claude addresses the objectification that is often overlooked in racial trauma. “When I do individual therapy, I’m not engaged in the political process, because when I enter the room, especially for me as a black man, that shows up… whether it’s explicitly said through the client or not. So I’m always sort of holding these dynamics in play and I can look for how they show up clinically… This is a reality because it’s part of your reality and my reality… Therapy is about talking about how you relate to reality.” As a NARM therapist committed to addressing the relationship between these systemic social issues and complex trauma, Claude brings an important voice to the trauma-informed movement. In this episode, Claude invites us all into this specific conversation around racism and trauma. This important conversation can help us, as therapists and people who work with and care about individuals coming from communities that face these realities, identify the complexities of addressing trauma on multiple levels. And, the need to systemically address this now. “Anything that we can do to take one brick off this pyramid, this ugly monument of racism. If we can take one brick off at a time, whatever we can do to do that, I want to just acknowledge and at the same time, you know, it's about damn time. I would say that with love, of course.” CONNECT with Claude Family First Adolescent Services LinkedIn *** Learn more about the new Online NARM Basics Training: http://www.narmtraining.com/onlinebasics NARM Training Institute http://www.NARMtraining.com *** The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources. For the full show notes including references, podcast episodes mentioned, and a quick glossary of terms, visit us at http://www.narmtraining.com/transformingtrauma *** We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining Twitter @NARMtraining YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute Sign up for a free preview of The NARM Inner Circle Online Membership Program: http://www.narmtraining.com/freetrial

May 27, 2020 • 49min
Inspiring, Educating, and Supporting Trauma Therapists with Guy Macpherson from The Trauma Therapist Podcast
"Just because someone's vulnerable doesn't mean they don't have the answer...It means being very present and being willing to be present and for it to be okay to not have the answers as someone’s therapist." ~Guy Macpherson Join the new Online NARM Basics Training: http://www.narmtraining.com/onlinebasics Sarah is joined by NARM Senior Faculty Brad Kammer and guest Guy Macpherson. With a doctorate in clinical psychology and a passion for spreading awareness of trauma, how it impacts lives, and trauma-informed care, Guy hosts his own podcast entitled the Trauma Therapist Podcast. This is just one of his many projects that are focused on connecting mental health professionals and others to information about trauma and trauma treatment. Throughout their conversation, Guy, Brad, and Sarah explore what’s so transformative about trauma-informed therapy. Guy speaks from his own experience as a therapist about the notions that he once held that have been debunked since working in the trauma field. He shares the quote, “Your job as a therapist is not to take your client’s pain away -- that’s their journey”. By ditching the idea that a therapist has to have all of the answers, they have more capacity to show up for their client. Especially when working with clients with complex trauma, the therapist’s authenticity and vulnerability can play a huge part in the process. W hat’s exciting for Guy about working with complex trauma is that, “there’s a whole element of being human with someone else”. It may sound simplistic, but it’s so powerful. “And not always easy,” Guy adds. Interwoven into their conversation, Sarah, Brad and Guy share stories of times they’ve been humbled by their work with healing trauma. Through these humbling experiences, many ideas of what being a therapist means has been broken down: the idea that if a therapist reads enough books or goes to enough workshops they’ll be prepared, the expectation that a therapist needs to know all of the answers, and the illusion that there’s only one way to approach working with clients. Rebuilt from their humbling experiences is the understanding that what at first might feel like doing less is in fact the way into a more authentic therapeutic connection. A therapist being comfortable with their own vulnerability “can be the vehicle to be present, to be open, and to be willing to learn”. Connect with Guy The Trauma Therapist Project Free Resource Give-Away We’re offering a podcast review give-away. Each week, we’re choosing one podcast reviewer to receive a NARM Clinical Protocol and NARM Personality Spectrum Worksheet. To enter, please submit a review within Apple Podcasts from your computer or mobile device and send a screenshot of your review to transformingtrauma@narmtraining.com. That’s it! Winners will be chosen weekly. NARM Training Institute http://www.NARMtraining.com *** The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources. For the full show notes including references, podcast episodes mentioned, and a quick glossary of terms, visit us at http://www.narmtraining.com/transformingtrauma This episode was edited by The Creative Impostor Studios. *** We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining Twitter @NARMtraining Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute YouTube Sign up for a free preview of The NARM Inner Circle Online Membership Program: http://www.narmtraining.com/freetrial
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