The pain from trauma runs deep, and its impact lingers in both the brain and body. And so often, people who have experienced trauma are embarrassed by their body’s response to the event – the way it shut down on them when they needed protection most. But in the video below, Stephen Porges, PhD explains…

Could trauma’s impact be passed along genetically from one generation to the next? For years, Rachel Yehuda, PhD has been studying the biological impact of trauma on Holocaust survivors and their children. We discussed some of her earlier findings here. At that time, researchers were in the early stages of investigating epigenetic change – the…

When patients can’t find words to describe their experience, we can often find clues . . . . . . in their posture, in the ways they move, and even in the limitations to their movement. According to Pat Ogden, PhD, when a client has a greater range of movement options – or “movement vocabulary”…

As practitioners, we sometimes have to be creative in coming up with interventions that will work for a particular patient. And this can be especially true when clients have deeply rooted limiting beliefs about themselves. Bessel van der Kolk, MD is a master at coming up with creative approaches to help clients work with beliefs…

How can we foster resilience in clients who have experienced trauma? A person’s response to trauma is often to lock away the parts that were wounded by their experience. But that can leave them feeling protective and fragile – and fearful about being triggered again. In the video below, Richard Schwartz, PhD shows how working…

One of trauma’s most insidious effects is how radically and completely it can take away someone’s sense of safety. That’s why it’s crucial to create a safe space when working with patients who have experienced trauma. But that’s only part of the equation. According to Peter Levine, PhD, there’s a very important follow-up step –…