Trauma

Pioneering trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk took aim not only at the politics within the therapy field that determine what diagnoses get into the DSM, but... Read more

Any therapist who works with kids will tell you that incorporating play in therapy is a great way to break the ice, reduce anxiety, and strengthen the... Read more

Psychotherapy Networker’s Lauren Dockett speaks with influential art and expressive art therapist Cathy Malchiodi about the broadening of her her field, how... Read more

Polyvagal Theory offers a new kind of somatic road map for guiding both therapists and clients toward safety and connection. It can also empower therapists to... Read more

Body psychotherapy, once shrouded in controversy, has gained growing acceptance in the wider field. So how do these popular bottom-up approaches actually work? Read more

Peter Levine, developer of Somatic Experiencing, takes us inside his seemingly intuitive approach and reveals the guiding principles that inform his work. Read more

Aliveness is not an experience we think or talk ourselves into; it’s a state of being we feel in our bodies. An expressive arts therapist shows how... Read more

When it comes to addressing the profound impact of trauma, pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris is calling for primary care physicians and therapists to develop... Read more

Chicago’s inner city has long been termed an “urban war zone.” A new book by acclaimed journalist Alex Kotlowitz reveals the personal stories of trauma... Read more

Therapists know that words can heal. But what if the words were in iambic pentameter and delivered from a stage? Veteran and professional actor Stephan Wolfert... Read more

It can be difficult to leave your emotions in the consulting room at the end of the day, especially when a client's story is heartbreaking or horrifying. But... Read more

For many traumatized clients, even beginning to explore a traumatic event can be an act of bravery. According to therapist and trauma expert Janina Fisher, in... Read more

According to trauma specialist Peter Levine, the body is the therapist's greatest tool in helping clients understand and heal from a traumatic event. So... Read more

In this issue, we hear from therapists who are moving beyond the confines of their offices to work with traumatized communities with enormous needs and few... Read more

In one violent Chicago neighborhood, embattled gang members see themselves as UPOWs—urban prisoners of war. To introduce them to a new set of survival... Read more

Wherever people have been uprooted and stripped raw by the devastating force of war, sudden violence, or natural disaster, you’re likely to find Jim Gordon... Read more

Stephen Wolfert’s De-Cruit program is giving vets a chance to heal the trauma of war in creative ways. Read more

A new book takes a close-up look at the opioid epidemic in America. Read more

The #MeToo movement has returned the field to many of the issues feminists raised decades ago. This time, however, there’s a new focus on avoiding... Read more

Today, after more than twenty-five years, predictions based on the trauma model have not proved accurate. A growing number of scholars in the sexual abuse... Read more

Often, traumatized clients find that they become dependent on their therapists to help them handle their extreme emotional states. But according to Peter... Read more

Among the first to fully realize that humans have an innate psychophysiological capacity for overcoming trauma, Peter Levine developed Somatic Experiencing, a... Read more

By Lauren Dockett - As trauma specialist Mary Jo Barrett explains, Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony has been empowering for many survivors of sexual... Read more

What's it like to be a therapist on the front lines of treating trauma with MDMA? Psychotherapist Marcela Ot'alora G., a principal investigator in... Read more

Through games that encourage small moments of laughter, a struggling mother and her adopted daughter learn a different way to bond. Read more

Author and therapist Kay Redfield Jamison explores what we can do to address the suicide epidemic. Read more

When I first heard about the growing research on the therapeutic use of psychedelics to treat trauma, I was frankly a bit bemused. But it’s been hard to... Read more

It’s been nearly 30 years since SSRIs came on the scene, but despite their ubiquity and pairing with a variety of talk- and body-centered treatments, the... Read more

A clinician accustomed to treating trauma in her private practice is also an investigator of an MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research project. From this dual... Read more

Often we hear things from clients like “My relationship ending was so traumatic for me,” or “When my uncle passed away, I was totally traumatized.”... Read more