Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity for Relationship

358 Pages·2012·1.63 MB·English

by  Laurence Heller

Copyright © 2012 by Laurence Heller, PhD, and Aline LaPierre, PsyD. All rights reserved. No portion of
this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the written
permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.
Published by
North Atlantic Books
P.O. Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94712
Cover design by Claudia Smelser
Cover photo © istockphoto.com/Jasmina007
Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity
for Relationship is sponsored by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit
educational corporation whose goals are to develop an educational and cross-cultural perspective linking
various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and
healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.
North Atlantic Books’ publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, visit our
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MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The following information is intended for general information purposes only.
Individuals should always see their health-care provider before administering any suggestions made in this
book. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is at the reader’s discretion and is his
or her sole responsibility.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Heller, Laurence
Healing developmental trauma: how early trauma affects self-regulation, self-image, and the capacity for
relationship / Laurence Heller and Aline LaPierre.
p. cm.
Summary: “Written for those working to heal developmental trauma and seeking new tools for self-
awareness and growth, this book focuses on conflicts surrounding the capacity for connection and
introduces the NeuroAffective Relational Model, a unified approach to developmental, attachment, and
shock trauma”—Provided by publisher.
eISBN: 978-1-58394-511-7
1. Neuropsychology. 2. Traumatic shock—Treatment. 3. Psychic trauma—Treatment. I.
LaPierre, Aline. II. Title.
QP360.H448 2012
612.8—dc23
2012004952
v3.1
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Larry
They say the third time is a charm, and it is certainly true about this book.
Although the book had been in process for seven years, it is only in the past
three, when Dr. Aline LaPierre joined me on the project, that it finally came
together. My first attempt to write the book on my own bogged down. A second
try with a professional writer did not work either. It was finally with Aline, who
as an experienced somatic psychotherapist herself could understand what I had
been attempting to communicate, that this book at last took shape. Aline’s
clinical experience and structured approach gave her a unique ability to work
with me to draw out and formulate NARM and put down in writing what are at
times highly complex concepts. This book is the result of a joint process, written
together at our home, on planes, trains, hotels, and ships in at least ten foreign
countries. I will forever appreciate the dedication she brought to this project.
To all my students worldwide who saw value in the developing NARM
system and helped me fine-tune my understanding and capacity to teach this
material.
My acknowledgment to Peter Levine for his groundbreaking work clarifying
the role of the nervous system in trauma treatment and for his dedication in
bringing trauma healing to an ever-expanding clinical audience.
My appreciation to my dear friend Jim Jonell for the hundreds of hours we
spent together developing a detailed understanding of the role of the body in
psychotherapy.
My thanks to my son Kevin Jon Heller who, early on, helped us find the voice
for this book.
Aline
Writing this book with Larry was a remarkable journey into creative
collaboration. As the book evolved, it was with growing respect and admiration
that I experienced the breadth of his knowledge, the depth of his clinical
experience, and the artistry of his finely tuned understanding of human nature.
I am indebted to many pioneering women, and I am particularly grateful for
the work of Emily Conrad and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Their exploration of
the evolutionary principles and essential movements of life initiated me into the
mysteries of the body and informs my work as a psychotherapist.
My gratitude goes to my clients whose feedback and appreciation continue to
highlight the value of NeuroAffective Touch in healing developmental trauma.
We both thank Victor Osaka for the valuable technological skills he brought to
our project and for his collaboration in developing the graphics for this book and
Margaret O. Ryan who brought the wisdom of her thirty years as editor of
psychological books to our project, making sure that our voice rang true and
clear.
Our gratitude goes to North Atlantic Books for their enthusiastic reception of
our work and to Emily Boyd for her expert guidance in the production of the
book.
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction to the NeuroAffective Relational Model™
. THE FIVE ADAPTIVE SURVIVAL STYLES
PART A
1. Overview
2. Connection • The First Organizing Principle
3. Attunement • The Second Organizing Principle
4. Trust • The Third Organizing Principle
5. Autonomy • The Fourth Organizing Principle
6. Love and Sexuality • The Fifth Organizing Principle
. THE CONNECTION SURVIVAL STYLE
PART B
7. Physiology and Trauma • Understanding the Impact of Trauma on
Development
8. The Beginning of Our Identity • Understanding the Connection
Survival Style
9. Transcript of a NARM™ Therapy Session with Commentary
10. Moving Toward Resolution • Connecting with Self and Others
11. Healing the Relational Matrix • NARM™ and NeuroAffective Touch
®
in the Long-Term Treatment of Early Developmental/Relational Trauma
12. Healing the Distortions of the Life Force • A Systemic Approach
Further Reading
About the Authors
LIST OF FIGURES
1.1: Exercise to Help Identify Experiences of Expansion and Aliveness
1.2: Distortions of the Life Force
1.3: Top-Down and Bottom-Up Information Flow
1.4: The Distress Cycle
1.5: The NARM Healing Cycle
6.1: Distortions of the Life Force in Each of the Five Adaptive Survival
Styles
7.1: Schema of the Nervous System
10.1: Exercise to Help Identify Positive Resources
10.2: Exercise to Explore Early Gaze Dynamics
12.1: Distortions of the Life Force (Same As Figure 1.2)
12.2: Exercise to Support the Exploration of One’s Relationship to Anger
LIST OF TABLES
I.1: NARM’s Five Core Needs and Their Associated Core Capacities
I.2: The Five Adaptive Survival Styles and Their Core Difficulties
I.3: Development of Core Capacities and the Formation of Adaptive
Survival Styles
I.4: Shame-Based Identifications and Pride-Based Counter-Identifications
for Each Adaptive Survival Style
1.1: Foreclosure of the Self to Maintain the Attachment Relationship
2.1: Key Features of the Connection Survival Style
2.2: Therapeutic Strategies for the Connection Survival Style
3.1: Comparison of the Two Attunement Survival Style Subtypes
3.2: Key Features of the Attunement Survival Style
3.3: Therapeutic Strategies for the Attunement Survival Style
4.1: Key Features of the Trust Survival Style
4.2: Therapeutic Strategies for the Trust Survival Style
5.1: Key Features of the Autonomy Survival Style
5.2: Therapeutic Strategies for the Autonomy Survival Style
6.1: Key Features of the Love-Sexuality Survival Style
6.2: Therapeutic Strategies for the Love-Sexuality Survival Style
7.1: Sympathetically and Parasympathetically Driven Changes that Occur
in the Body in Response to Stress or Threat
7.2: Some Physiological Markers of the Differences between Coherence
and Activation
8.1: Recognizing the Symptoms of Early Trauma
8.2: Early Sources of Trauma
8.3: Distortions of Healthy Aggression
8.4: Effects of Early Trauma on Health
8.5: Characteristics of Healthy and Compromised Energetic Boundaries
10.1: Primary Principles, Tools, and Techniques Used in the NARM
Approach
10.2: Overview of the Basic Steps to Reconnection
10.3: Impact of Trauma on the Eyes
10.4: Techniques Useful in Managing the Therapeutic Process of
Connection
10.5: Therapeutic Themes to Keep in Mind When Working with the
Connection Survival Style
10.6: Shame-Based Identifications and Pride-Based Counter-Identifications
(partial list)
10.7: Summary of Principles and Techniques that Inform the NARM
Therapeutic Process with the Connection Survival Style