Transforming Trauma

In this special Transforming Trauma series, we will be exploring the "origin stories" of influential therapists. These episodes offer a rare opportunity to peek behind the curtain and understand what inspired these therapists to pursue healing work, and how they have brought their life experiences into their professional work, impacting and inspiring many people along the way. By learning from sea...

In this special Transforming Trauma series, we are exploring the "origin stories" of influential therapists. These episodes offer a rare opportunity to peek behind the curtain and understand what inspired these therapists to pursue healing work - and how they have brought their life experiences into their professional work, impacting and inspiring many people along the way. By learning from season...

In this special Transforming Trauma series, we will be exploring the "origin stories" of influential therapists. These episodes offer a rare opportunity to peek behind the curtain and understand what inspired these therapists to pursue healing work - and how they have brought their life experiences into their professional work, impacting and inspiring many people along the way.  By learning from s...

Meditation is a practice that intimidates many people. Silence, coupled with the act of observing rather than acting, often evokes emotions such as despair and loneliness. But what if we applied the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM©) to the experience of meditative silence? On this episode of Transforming Trauma , host Emily Ruth is in conversation with Alli Malnik, a NARM-trained mental heal...

Many graduate students in psychology, counseling, and social work struggle to find their theoretical and clinical footing. As graduate students get closer to graduation, many feel under-prepared and ill-equipped to provide effective therapy to clients. Despite the differences between training in a depth-oriented model like NARM and studying traditional coursework required for a clinical degree, on...

For women exiting the US correctional system, support is limited while the hurdles set in front of them seem endless. The post-carceral ecosystem is changing, however, bolstered by nonprofits that elevate rather than penalize people for their time served. On this episode of Transforming Trauma , host Emily Ruth welcomes Samantha Garcia Pennell, Manager of Workforce Partnerships at Arouet Foundatio...

While most clinicians are seeking effective clinical skills to bring back to their clients, NARM® therapists are often surprised to experience such profound personal transformation for themselves through training in NARM. In learning more about themselves and their own healing process, the result is a better understanding of their client's healing process. Self-discovery can be a vehicle toward pe...

Many of us hold the convenient belief that we possess a single identity. Dr. Richard Schwartz began challenging the flatness of that assumption in the early 1980s. His curiosity led to the creation of the Internal Family Systems Model (IFS), which recognizes the role of internal "parts" or subpersonalities that resemble a family structure.  Forty years later, Dick continues to expand on the model,...

Narcissists have a canny ability to repackage traits like arrogance, self-importance, and a lack of empathy and sell them as charm, intelligence, or sensitivity. This "playbook" of calculated behaviors allows them to avoid detection and continue manipulating close relations or entire groups. On this episode of Transforming Trauma , CTTC Director and NARM® Senior Trainer Brad Kammer welcomes Mark V...

For all its popularity as a talking point, shame remains one of the least-documented human emotions.  On this episode of Transforming Trauma , host Emily Ruth is pleased to welcome back Dr. Laurence Heller, Ph. D., author, international trainer, and creator of the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®). The pair discuss the psychology of shame and its significant role in protecting attachments (...

For many mental health professionals, exploration into a client's relationship with spirituality is often left out or actively avoided.  Could honest and open discussions about a client's spiritual perspective help them reconnect to themselves and others while also alleviating their symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression? On this episode of Transforming Trauma , host Emily Ruth is honored to...

One of the many consequences of complex trauma is a loss of self-confidence leading to self-doubt and difficulty trusting in one's intuition. On this episode of Transforming Trauma , host Emily Ruth invites international speaker, author, and resident psychiatrist Dr. Samra Zafar to share her inspirational journey from an isolated teen bride to a courageous, intuitive, and powerful agent of change....

Within psychology, there is an ongoing debate about the relationship between complex trauma and personality. Developed by Dr. James Masterson, the Masterson Approach focuses on the development of personality, and introduced innovative treatment for schizoid, narcissistic and borderline personality disorders. On this episode of Transforming Trauma , host Emily Ruth welcomes Dr. William Griffith, Di...

Living an authentic life has always required a fair amount of courage. But the online world has created an environment in which targeted intimidation and persecution are accepted, and even encouraged too often. Virtual bullying is especially vicious when directed at folks with marginalized identities. One woman has worked hard to thrive online and off, despite the risks involved.  On this episode...

On this episode of Transforming Trauma , CTTC Director and NARM® Senior Trainer Brad Kammer welcomes psychologist, author, and trainer Steven Kessler, MFT, to discuss the role that personality patterns play in our communication styles and how those patterns impact our relationships.  The pair delve into the origins of these patterns and the unconscious "safety" tactics associated with each. Brad a...

Grief is a natural response to loss that all of us will encounter. For all its universality, however, our society has grown increasingly grief-adverse and avoidant. One grief specialist relies on her NARM® training to reacquaint clients with their agency. In doing so, she invites their sorrow to coexist with curiosity, compassion, and gentleness. On this episode of Transforming Trauma , host Emily...

Connection and healing often happen amid our messiest, most vulnerable moments. The rawness of our experiences can create the space we need to welcome a new way of living, loving, and even learning. One clinical counselor has witnessed this truth repeatedly throughout her multifaceted career and personal life. Her ability to stay with discomfort and lend intuitive support has made her an effective...

Cultivating a culture of transparency is a challenge for any organization. Recording it for posterity on a podcast is a lesson in embodied connection. Transforming Trauma host Emily Ruth welcomes back Brad Kammer, Training Director and Senior Trainer at Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC), and Stefanie Klein, CTTC's Assistant Training Director and Trainer, for a heartfelt and candid year-end con...

Milestones have a way of inviting reflection, and this one is no exception. This year-end review of Transforming Trauma also happens to be our 150th episode. CTTC Director and NARM® Senior Trainer Brad Kammer joins host Emily Ruth to reminisce about the incredible guests who have graced our current season and the many heartfelt conversations that have shaped the show since its inception in January...

Did you know that the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) has remained the same since it was officially added to the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders in 1980? Forty years later, BPD remains deeply misunderstood by the public and isolating for those who live with the condition. On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ru...

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes Dr. David Richo, PhD, MFT, psychotherapist, teacher, and writer to share wisdom from his 50+ years of helping people identify and resolve relationship challenges that often mirror issues from their childhood. Dr. Richo points to growth that arrives in the form of triggers – adverse emotional responses that blur the distinction betwee...

Sex is one of the most complex barriers to true intimacy in a relationship. It's also one of the least-discussed topics in therapy. Therapists often avoid discussing sex due to their perceived lack of subject knowledge or confidence in their therapeutic skills.  Clinical Sexologist and Psychologist Rikke Pristed believes that therapists have already developed a baseline competency in sex-related i...

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, CTTC Director and NARM® Senior Trainer Brad Kammer welcomes Jessica Britt, Training Director of The Diamond Approach, to share wisdom from her decades-long journey of personal healing and professional development. Jessica says that creating more depth in the field requires therapists to do the hard internal work of self-healing. She invites us to feel our wa...

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth is joined by Daniel Morehead, MD., a leading voice for mental health advocacy and author of Science Over Stigma: Education and Advocacy for Mental Health . Emily Ruth and Daniel examine what it means to be neurodivergent, the role variation plays in evolution, and the radical act of greeting neurodivergence with curiosity and humility. The pa...

It's no secret that incarcerated folks lack access to adequate mental health care while in prison. Reintegration support is even harder to come by once they are released. Sadly, women face even more significant challenges than men on both counts. But what if more trauma-informed professionals got involved in supporting formerly incarcerated women on both the individual and community levels? On thi...