Working with Relational & Attachment Issues with NARM
Trisha Wolfe, MA, LPC
In our recent blog post on EMDR and trauma, we discussed what makes up a “little t” trauma. These little t traumatic events are often relational in nature, including things like divorce, conflict in the family, betrayal by a friend, bullying, childhood medical issues, and more. These traumas, while not what our society typically views as trauma, can have a long lasting disruption on our ability to feel safe, loved, calm, and connect with others. When people experience these types of trauma or adverse experiences (especially at an early age), they can develop unhealthy barriers and coping mechanisms that, if left untreated, can permanently wound healthy emotional self-regulation.
Studies have indicated that addressing upstream issues like these is key to addressing the core dilemmas that can lead to maladaptive coping strategies, behavioral or attention issues, and relational difficulties. In fact, children may often be misdiagnosed with things like ADHD or Bipolar Disorder when the actual issue stems from developmental trauma. The good news is that as research expands, clinicians learn new methods to treat developmental trauma.
One such emerging modality is the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM). NARM was created by Dr. Laurence Heller as a resource-oriented, non-regressive model for resolving developmental trauma and the resulting mental and emotional disorders. As a therapeutic approach, NARM emerged out of earlier psychotherapeutic orientations, bridging traditional psychotherapy with somatic approaches within a context of relational practice.
The foundation of NARM is the belief that as children, we learned identities and survival strategies from our families and environments of origin in order to protect the attachment relationship with our parents and caregivers. NARM is a comprehensive clinical approach that addresses relational and attachment trauma by working with early, unconscious patterns of disconnection that deeply affect our identity, emotions, physiology, behavior and relationships.
orking simultaneously with these diverse elements creates a radical shift that has profound clinical implications for healing complex trauma. In a NARM session, the focus is placed on working with your nervous system and present moment thoughts in the here and now instead of focusing on stories from the past. Through NARM work you can expect healing through an increased capacity for connection and relationships, a sense of calm, and restored capacity for well-being. The nurturing of healthy emotional self-regulation and growth leads to reduced symptomology, improved outcomes, and greater capacity for connection.