Transforming Trauma

“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  

“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

"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

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

"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

"I'm not asking anybody to believe anything. [The] very strong orientation in NARM is to really listen to yourself, listen to your own experience, listen to the deepest experience in you and from that place, I see it over and over again, that as people get progressively more connected to the deepest elements of the small self and the big Self is that whether they use the word spirituality or not, they're describing spiritual kinds of reactions." ~Dr. Laurence Heller Join the new Online NARM Basics Training: http://www.narmtraining.com/onlinebasics Dr. Laurence Heller, the Creator of the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), is joined by our host, Sarah to answer a very common question about the role spirituality plays in the healing of trauma. How can spirituality serve reconnection to oneself in the aftermath of complex and developmental trauma? What are the ways that religious and spiritual practice might support trauma healing?  What role does spirituality play in post-traumatic growth, and specifically in the NeuroAffective Relational Model for resolving Complex Trauma? Sarah begins this exploration by asking Dr. Heller how he defines spirituality. He says that it is very hard to define, and that spirituality is more than just a cognitive understanding. He says it is “an embodied understanding that there’s something more to us than what we take to be our personal identity.” While Dr. Heller did not explicitly build a spiritual approach to healing trauma, it is implicit in the model he created. Training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model does not involve any specific spiritual teaching or practice. What is supported is a process by which every individual learns how to better listen to themselves, to their own experiences, and from that place they get more connected to the deepest elements of self. This happens as a by-product of healing complex trauma. As people experience more secure connection to themselves, free from the psychobiological patterns of trauma, they develop a deeper sense of “Heartfulness”.  Sarah and Dr. Heller also discuss a spectrum of spiritual trauma, from those who’ve been abused by others exploiting spirituality for their own gain, to those who, as Sarah puts it, are “addicted to spirituality”. They talk about what is referred to as “spiritual bypass”, which is when spiritual beliefs or practices are used to disconnect, generally in the face of uncertainty, for example in minimizing emotions and pushing for forgiveness. This can happen for individuals without an embodied spiritual foundation. Before this episode concludes, Sarah and Dr. Heller reflect together on the role spirituality is playing now in the midst of the global Coronavirus pandemic. Instead of using spirituality as a way to “make meaning of the situation”, Dr. Heller sees spirituality as providing the capacity to hold the possibility of not knowing what’s going on in the world, and finding acceptance and calm in the face of collective trauma. Embodied spirituality provides more resources for people to be in the moment, even in the face of ongoing threat.  When describing spirituality, Dr. Heller uses the word abiding, meaning being able to be with the not knowing.  When we experience trauma, it exposes the cracks in our perceived identity. For people who are curious about exploring these cracks in their identity, oftentimes beautiful growth and even a stronger spiritual foundation can develop when faced with trauma. The concept of cracks in our identity reminds Sarah of Kintsugi, a Japanese artform where breaks or cracks in pottery are seen as a part of the object’s history and celebrated by filling them in with gold, and reminds Dr. Heller of Leonard Cohen’s line, “There is a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in”. RESOURCES MENTIONED Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity for Relationship - Dr. Laurence Heller YouTube 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 YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute   Sign up for a free preview of The NARM Inner Circle Online Membership Program: http://www.narmtraining.com/freetrial

Thanks to all your interest in learning more about NARM, we are launching the Online NARM Basics Training: an Online Training for Transforming Trauma. This is a brand new Level 1 training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model for professionals working with Complex Trauma.  The intention of this online training is to make it more accessible to learn NARM. We know that during this time of COVID-19, live professional trainings are not an option. But even before this global crisis, many of you told us that you had difficulties traveling to come learn NARM, getting time off work, or affording the full NARM Practitioner Training. Despite these obstacles, many of you still wanted to learn NARM. If this rings true, then this online training is for you! This professional training is designed to support those of you working with clients or populations dealing with Complex Trauma, which with COVID and its aftermath, this includes many of us. This training is for mental health professionals, as well as helping professionals such as nurses, doctors, other healthcare providers, educators, substance abuse counselors, coaches, body-workers, and more. In this online training, participants will learn more about the changing field of trauma, a deeper understanding of the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and how NARM, one of the first models specifically designed to address C-PTSD, can support professionals in the growing trauma-informed field.  This Online NARM Basics Training will be taught by NARM Creator, Dr. Laurence Heller, NARM Senior Faculty members Brad Kammer and Stefanie Klein, and a team of experienced NARM Trainers. During the four month online training, they will explore complex themes like: the difference between shock and developmental trauma; working with guilt, shame and self-sabotage; the impact of complex trauma on relationships, families and children; vicarious trauma and practitioner-burnout; post-traumatic growth; and how to apply NARM principles in a variety of settings. If you are looking for more advanced training in attachment, relational, developmental and intergenerational trauma, and are working in healthcare, education, substance abuse recovery, or allied fields, join us for this Level 1 NARM Training to become a NARM-Informed Professional. The first Online NARM Basics Training is starting on June 26, 2020 and will run one weekend a month through September.  60 continuing education units will be available for most helping professionals. There is limited space for this Level 1 NARM-Informed Professional Training, so register now to reserve your spot. We hope you will join us in learning how to Transform Trauma! For more information and to apply to the Online NARM Basics Training, please visit www.narmtraining.com/onlinebasics *** For the full show notes including references, podcast episodes mentioned, and a quick glossary of terms, visit us at http://www.narmtraining.com/transformingtrauma Transforming Trauma is edited by The Creative Impostor Studios. *** We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining Twitter @NARMtraining YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute

"NARM is really great at honoring that basic human need of being able to protect yourself. Being able to protect yourself doesn’t mean that you have a magic wand and you can make the world a safe place. It’s being able to do some things on your behalf that really honor your ability to be an actor in your own life." ~Caroline Clyborne Transforming Trauma host Sarah Buino is joined by Caroline Clyborne, MA, LCP, a psychotherapist in Austin, Texas who specializes in clients with chronic illness and parents who are raising children with medical challenges. Caroline is also a NARM Therapist and has seen the positive impact that addressing complex trauma, and specifically the NARM approach, has had on clients and families managing chronic illnesses and medically complex diagnoses. After having her daughter who was born with medical complexities, Caroline observed the impact that medical trauma has on many children, as well as the impacts on parents and families.  Caroline and Sarah discuss how disability, going in and out of the medical system, and other non-medical stressors influence the attachment relationship between parents of a child with disabilities and their children. These relational challenges often activate unresolved attachment and developmental trauma for already stressed and overwhelmed parents.  What’s often lost in the parents’ overwhelm is the sense that even when a parent doesn’t have the ability to change or predict their child’s medical complexities, they still have their ability to be a parent to their child. In the NARM approach, this is referred to as agency. Caroline talks about finding “relative safety”, even when there is still an ongoing sense of danger surrounding them. Even when a parent can’t keep their child completely safe, Caroline explains that they can orient themselves to the safety measures they are taking -- this space of relative safety allows parents to experience the agency necessary to sustain themselves and their children. Sarah draws parallels between the work Caroline does with this population of parents to all child-parent relationships in situations when the issue can’t be solved by the parent, such as during the current COVID-19 pandemic.  Caroline shares that when she was going through a very overwhelming time in her life as a parent, she would have loved to experience the feeling of agency that she found as she began engaging with NARM. She has since become a NARM Therapist which has enriched her capacities as a trauma-informed therapist. She finds the NARM approach to have strengthened her medical advocacy in adults with chronic illness and in parents raising medically complex and neurodivergent children. CONNECT WITH CAROLINE Invincible Summer Therapy 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 Community Gatherings We are grateful to have come together with so many of you for the recent NARM Online Community Gatherings, and we are looking forward to our next free community gathering on May 14, 2020. These events focus on how we can stay emotionally healthy during this time of isolation and are great opportunities to engage with NARM material and the NARM Community. We've made the replay videos from all of these events available on our website so that you can access them even after the events have occurred. We hope these are useful resources for you during this time. Please go to http://www.narmtraining.com/events to sign up for the replay videos. 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 YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute   Sign up for a free preview of The NARM Inner Circle Online Membership Program: http://www.narmtraining.com/freetrial

The global COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges for us all. How are therapists supporting their clients in crisis? And what about the therapists themselves? How can we stay emotionally healthy during this time?  NARM faculty members Brad Kammer, Stefanie Klein and Marcia Black join Transforming Trauma host Sarah Buino to discuss grief and loss, relief and discomfort, agency and surrender, connection and disconnection, and opportunities for post-traumatic growth and transformation.   Sarah asks Brad, Stefanie, and Marcia: What recurring themes have shown up for their clients? How have social distancing measures altered the client-therapist dynamic? What challenges are they noticing for themselves on a professional and personal level? Which self-care strategies have had the most impact on their wellbeing? How can NARM help during a time like this? The NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) focuses on how therapists relate to and hold space for their clients. Brad, Stefanie and Marcia share a common bond, which is that they are passionate about their life’s work. They reflect on their role as therapists, teachers, supervisors and mentors, and leaders in the NARM community, in which they find great meaning and joy. While we are all facing a global trauma, they find hope in sharing with the world the NeuroAffective Relational Model, which is designed to support post-traumatic growth and transformation.  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 Community Gatherings We are grateful to have come together with so many of you for the recent NARM Online Community Gatherings, and we are looking forward to our next free community gathering on May 14, 2020. These events focus on how we can stay emotionally healthy during this time of isolation and are great opportunities to engage with NARM material and the NARM Community. We've made the replay videos from all of these events available on our website so that you can access them even after the events have occurred. We hope these are useful resources for you during this time. Please go to http://www.narmtraining.com/events to sign up for the replay videos. 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 YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute   Sign up for a free preview of The NARM Inner Circle Online Membership Program: http://www.narmtraining.com/freetrial

“The one thing I love about NARM is that it's empowering. It helps you realize that there’s so much power in you. It returns your agency. The power of agency is that you let go of the helplessness.” -Wangui Wanjiru Host Sarah Buino and her guest Wangui Wanjiru, a Kenyan clinical psychologist and the first NARM Therapist on the African continent, seek to humanize the culturally-specific challenges of complex trauma care in Africa. Wangui describes the cultural orientation that’s very present in Kenyan culture, a strong focus on the group over the individual.  She says people don’t personalize themselves or each other outside of sweeping social categories. And when people do acknowledge their individuality, they are labeled as “selfish”.  While painting the picture of how more communal based cultures work against the individual’s connection with themself, Wangui describes the bind that comes with the desire to remain in connection with your culture. Sarah and Wangui talk about what they’ve learned in their NARM Training-- that when someone is more connected with themselves, they actually have more capacity to be connected with others, their community, and their culture. Paradoxically, reconnecting with the self, which pushes against the Kenyan social construct of “the group over the individual”, will actually allow for more connection with the Kenyan culture as a whole.  Wangui brings up an important question: What are we gaining from losing touch with ourselves? And then Sarah and Wangui go even further in their discussion, reflecting on the impacts of racial oppression and cultural trauma, to ask: Who is benefiting from people losing touch with their individuality? Sarah prompts Wangui to share what it has been like to bring NARM to Africa and applying the NARM approach to her work with her clients.  They discuss whether healing trauma is possible as cultures are still currently living through trauma: How can one transform trauma amidst ongoing trauma and oppression?  “The beauty of reclaiming your self is that when issues come, or even though you’re still living within the trauma, these issues don’t come to an empty soul, or they don’t come to a dead soul.  They’re coming to a soul that can resist and choose what gets in and what does not get in. And that’s the empowering part of it. Yes, people might be continuing to go through trauma, but as long as the software within themselves is different, you’re giving them the virus protection. It’s not about getting people out of trauma, it’s not about let’s do this treatment after the trauma is done, it’s letting empower people as they’re going through trauma so they will carry less of it.”   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 YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute   Sign up for a free preview of The NARM Inner Circle Online Membership Program: http://www.narmtraining.com/freetrial