Humans are remarkable creatures, and we all have basic survival demands that change as we move from infancy into childhood and then into adolescence and finally, into adulthood. When our natural defenses fail us, our brains and bodies are programmed to “play dead.” They may shut down, and when they do, we may go unconscious [...]
Most therapists have been taught that processing trauma is the goal of trauma therapy. That means that they feel the need to access the traumatic memories their clients have with the goal of working through them. But placing too much emphasis on the events that occurred which caused the traumatic memories is not helpful at [...]
In the past, any mention of other “personalities” or Parts immediately led to a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder (formerly called multi-personality disorder). But with continued research, it has been found that those Parts or personalities are actually quite vital. They are also present in every single person. Every human being has their own inner [...]
After they survive a traumatic event, many people spend years of their lives struggling because of Parts that are at war within them as a result. They may have: • Parts that are more childlike and afraid. • Parts that are more take-charge and protective. • Parts that are angrier and more combative. But something [...]
It is easy to think that the aftereffects of trauma are only experienced in the brain, but that is not exactly how it works. Quite often, those effects become evident physically as well. This is because as they begin to feel empathy toward their parts emotionally, their bodies feel it as well. These can actually [...]
There are a lot of therapists who find it difficult to direct the treatment their clients are receiving. Often, this is because they do not want the clients to just automatically comply and as a result, lose the chance to experience their own inner sense of direction. But that approach does not typically work with [...]
Sometimes when people experience what feels like different personalities within themselves, they get scared. They immediately assume that they must be suffering from multiple personality disorder, or as it is referred to today, dissociative identity disorder. The fact is that this type of internal multiplicity is actually quite normal, and it is something that everyone [...]
The human mind is made up of a system of Parts, and when there are differences between the parts, the situation can often escalate into polarization. This is a concept that most people can easily understand because we have all found ourselves in it at one time or another. In the book, Introduction to the [...]
When children are raised in homes where they feel loved, soothed and cared for, their parents are actually helping to regulate their immature nervous system. As they grow, they learn to do this on their own, and they form the ability to handle many different emotions. But when a child is neglected or abused, their [...]
Today, we know so much more about trauma therapy and the proper way to provide it than we ever have before. For instance, it was once assumed that trauma victims would have the words they needed to explain the traumatic event they endured. They simply lacked the chance to express them. But research shown us [...]