Laurence Heller - Healing developmental trauma : how early trauma affects self-regulation, self-image, and the capacity for relationship

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 meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout 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 website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call (800) 733-3000.

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 readers 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 traumaProvided by publisher.
eISBN: 978-1-58394-511-7
1. Neuropsychology. 2. Traumatic shockTreatment. 3. Psychic traumaTreatment. I.
LaPierre, Aline. II. Title.
QP360.H448 2012
612.8dc23

2012004952

v3.1

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. Alines 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.

Exercise to Help Identify Experiences of Expansion and Aliveness

Distortions of the Life Force

Top-Down and Bottom-Up Information Flow

The Distress Cycle

The NARM Healing Cycle

Distortions of the Life Force in Each of the Five Adaptive Survival Styles

Schema of the Nervous System

Exercise to Help Identify Positive Resources

Exercise to Explore Early Gaze Dynamics

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Exercise to Support the Exploration of Ones Relationship to Anger

NARMs Five Core Needs and Their Associated Core Capacities

The Five Adaptive Survival Styles and Their Core Difficulties

Development of Core Capacities and the Formation of Adaptive Survival Styles

Shame-Based Identifications and Pride-Based Counter-Identifications for Each Adaptive Survival Style

Foreclosure of the Self to Maintain the Attachment Relationship

Key Features of the Connection Survival Style

Therapeutic Strategies for the Connection Survival Style

Comparison of the Two Attunement Survival Style Subtypes

Key Features of the Attunement Survival Style

Therapeutic Strategies for the Attunement Survival Style

Key Features of the Trust Survival Style

Therapeutic Strategies for the Trust Survival Style

Key Features of the Autonomy Survival Style

Therapeutic Strategies for the Autonomy Survival Style

Key Features of the Love-Sexuality Survival Style

Therapeutic Strategies for the Love-Sexuality Survival Style

Sympathetically and Parasympathetically Driven Changes that Occur in the Body in Response to Stress or Threat

Some Physiological Markers of the Differences between Coherence and Activation

Recognizing the Symptoms of Early Trauma

Early Sources of Trauma

Distortions of Healthy Aggression

Effects of Early Trauma on Health