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, […]
A Simple Strategy for Dissociative Clients Who Lose Time
When a client dissociates in session, there are many grounding techniques we can use to bring them back to the present. But what can help clients when they dissociate outside of your office – particularly when they report losing chunks of time? Below, Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD shares a simple yet effective strategy that helps […]
When a COVID-19 Worker Struggles to Connect with Their Partner
When a soldier comes home from war, the return to civilian life can be extremely challenging. It can feel easier to share openly and deeply with fellow soldiers who know the same battlefield experience than with a spouse. Now during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals in hard-hit areas have been compared to warzones. And for some […]