One challenge of working with trauma is when a patient’s dissociated “parts” are operating independently . . . . . . or worse, they’re at odds with each other. This can be very distressing for the patient (and lead to a dysregulated nervous system). But the Structural Dissociation Model developed by Kathy Steele, MN, CS, […]
How to Help a Client Come Back from Freezing in a Session
Working through trauma can trigger many perceived threats for our clients. They might start to breath rapidly and find it hard to hold still, or perhaps they start to freeze up during the session. So what are some practical ways to calm the nervous system and keep a client grounded – especially when they begin […]
When a Client Is Stuck in the Freeze Response
What triggers the freeze response? We tend to think of traumatic events, but according to Peter Levine, PhD, that’s not always the case. Even a perceived threat can be enough for a client to get stuck in a frozen state. So how can we help clients who are stuck in the freeze response to move […]
Reporting in on the COVID-19 donations . . .
A couple months back, I promised to give away 100% of what we took in from the Working with Fear program . . . . . . and send it all to organizations responding to the COVID-19 crisis. Now it’s time to report in on where the money went. But first, a little behind the […]
A Story for Clients Stuck in Worry and “What Ifs”
There are times when a client can get stuck in “what if” scenarios and worry about the future. And when that happens, it stifles their ability to think clearly and approach their problems with wisdom and creativity. But there’s a very succinct, engaging story that’s popular in Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) that can help clients see […]