It used to be that when working with trauma, so much of our focus centered on helping clients process their traumatic experience. But over the past several years, we’ve gained a better understanding that that’s just one piece of the work – and perhaps now more than ever, we understand that multiple approaches are often […]
How Neglect Can Impact Brain Development – with Bessel van der Kolk, MD
Childhood neglect is one of the more insidious forms of trauma that a client might experience. Not only that, but it can have a unique impact on brain development that researchers don’t often see with other types of trauma. So in the video below, Bessel van der Kolk, MD will get into one specific neurobiological […]
How to work with Shutdown vs. Freeze – with Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD
In the face of a traumatic experience, some clients become unable to move. This can sometimes indicate that a client is experiencing either a freeze response or a shutdown response to trauma. And according to Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD, there are key neurological differences that can help us distinguish between the two . . . […]
2 Strategies for Working with the Freeze Response
As therapists, we may sometimes feel unsure about what to do when a client enters a freeze response and loses their ability to speak. What’s more, it can be difficult to gauge a client’s sense of safety when they’re unable to talk to us. So in the video below, Janina Fisher, PhD walks us through […]
Stephen Porges, PhD on Helping Clients Regulate Distressing Emotions
For many clients, stress can feel like a natural byproduct of having a family, holding down a job, pursuing an advanced degree, or keeping up with the hectic pace of life in general. The problem is, when stress becomes chronic it can impact their brain, body, and virtually every aspect of their life. So how […]