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 . . . […]
[Infographic] – Four Key Ways Collapse/Submit Can Present in a Client
Like many of the emerging defense responses to trauma, the collapse/submit response can be difficult to recognize. So to give you a clearer idea of what this trauma response can look like, we created this free infographic that highlights four key ways it might present in a client. To put this infographic together, we gathered […]
[Infographic] – How the Nervous System Responds to Trauma
It can often be difficult for trauma survivors to understand how or why they reacted a certain way during a traumatic experience. Instead of seeing their trauma response as the result of a split-second, unconscious decision made by their nervous system, your client may blame themself for not reacting differently. This can be especially true […]
Helping Clients Talk About Shame
When Clients are Reluctant to Talk About Shame Working with clients who suffer from deep feelings of shame can be a delicate and nuanced process – for a few reasons . . . To start, shame can disguise itself in a number of ways. It can hide beneath anger, outrage, self-sabotage, or abusive relationships. What’s […]
Treating Trauma: How to Work with the Shame of Moral Injury
When a client experiences a moral injury, the guilt, sadness, and shame that come with it can be debilitating. It can create a deep wound at the center of a person’s identity. So how can you help a client who’s suffering from a moral injury begin to heal? In the video below, Ruth Lanius, MD, […]