When an individual has experienced developmental trauma, a distress cycle is set in motion that moves both top-down and bottom-up in continuous self-reinforcing loops. Bottom-up, trauma creates nervous system dysregulation. When people experience trauma, they feel bad; children in particular when they feel bad, think they are bad.

Since much of our identity develops in the first five years of life, distortions of identity keep us seeing ourselves and the world from a child’s perspective. Chronic bottom-up dysregulation and distress lead to negative identifications, beliefs, and judgements about ourselves. These negative identifications, beliefs and judgements in turn trigger more nervous system dysregulation and a distress cycle is created.

The NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM) integrates Somatic Experiencing, somatic mindfulness, and identity work to evoke a positive healing cycle. Increasing nervous system regulation helps dissolve painful identifications and as painful identifications and judgements dissolve, a greater capacity for selfregulation becomes possible.