For many people of color, the fight for racial justice and equality is a lifelong struggle . . . . . . but the effort required to constantly work toward social change can easily consume a person – especially when they continue to witness traumatic acts of injustice. So in the video below, Eboni Webb, […]
An Exercise for Working with Hypoarousal – with Eboni Webb, PsyD
There are times when a client may get triggered and overwhelmed in the middle of difficult trauma work. For some clients this can look like anger, irritability, a rapid heart rate, and other signs of hyperarousal. But for other clients, you might see them become less and less responsive as their arousal drops. And this […]
Bessel van der Kolk, MD, On Trauma-Induced Shame
Trauma can leave clients with deep, debilitating feelings of shame. And for clients who experienced trauma in early childhood, those feelings may have shaped their self-narrative for years. So in the video below, Bessel van der Kolk, MD shares how he approaches trauma-induced shame that stems from childhood trauma. Have a look. […]
Enhancing Trauma Therapy with Compassion – with Dennis Tirch, PhD
Sharing a traumatic memory can be a challenging and painful part of therapy for clients. It’s a time when we have to be particularly alert for signs that the client is getting either too hypo- or hyperaroused to safely continue. But compassion-based approaches increase a client’s capacity to revisit traumatic memories and explore difficult sensations. […]
A Three-Step Approach to Help Clients Tolerate Distress
When a client is in emotional distress, their first instinct is often to try to make the pain go away . . . . . . but by avoiding those feelings, the pain usually just grows. That’s why helping clients learn to sit with and manage distress is critical. In the video below, Michael Yapko, […]