When you look at the news, there’s pain and violence on every broadcast. But is this something we should help our clients process? Patrick Dougherty would say yes. And he has some clear, helpful guidelines for how to bring up difficult and divisive political and social issues in therapy. It’s one way we can help […]
Could Yoga Hold the Key to Healing a Patient’s Trauma?
Approximately 10 million women in America have been physically assaulted at some time in their life. Yes, that’s a sobering statistic. But the far-reaching effects of violence against women are even darker. Over a third of these survivors experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with increased rates of depression, obesity and heart disease. So how do we […]
Polyvagal Theory and How Trauma Impacts the Body
Can trauma haunt the body the same way it haunts memories? According to Stephen Porges, PhD, and polyvagal theory, not only does the body remember a traumatic experience, but it can actually get stuck in the trauma response mode. So even when the threat is gone, the body still perceives danger and its defenses stay […]
How to Work with Trauma without Triggering Fear
We know plenty of strategies for engaging our trauma patients. But do we know what to avoid? How to help patients heal is not always clear. And trauma patients, given all their diverse history and symptoms, can be some of the most challenging. So it almost goes without saying that, when working with clients who […]
How to Use the Wisdom of the Body to Heal Trauma – with Pat Ogden, PhD
You may have heard that if you put on a happy face, you’ll actually start to feel better. But did you know that the physical patterns of our body not only reflect how we’re feeling inside but can actually cause those feelings? When it comes to working with trauma patients, noticing patterns and changes in […]