Shock trauma
Stems from singular, overwhelming events such as accidents, disasters or assault. The nervous system gets stuck around a specific event; the work usually focuses on resolving its physiological imprint.
NeuroAffective Relational Model
A present-moment healing model for complex trauma
NARM is a developmentally-oriented, neuroscientifically-informed psychotherapy method designed for healing attachment, relational and developmental trauma — otherwise known as “complex trauma” (C-PTSD).
Roots
An original synthesis born of four traditions
NARM emerged from psychodynamic psychotherapy, attachment theory, Gestalt therapy and diverse somatic approaches — reorganising them within a relational framework into a model entirely its own.
Distilled from Dr. Laurence Heller's more than 45 years of clinical practice, the model addresses psychology and physiology at the same time: how identity distortions and nervous-system dysregulation intertwine, jointly limiting our capacity for connection and regulation.
NARM's Core Question
“What are the patterns that are preventing me from being present to myself and others, at this moment and in my life?”
Rather than excavating the past, this inquiry makes visible how patterns are lived in the present moment — the only place where change can actually happen.
A Key Distinction
Developmental trauma is different from shock trauma
Unlike shock trauma — caused by a single overwhelming event — developmental trauma happens early, within relationship, and often chronically. Its healing therefore requires a different approach.
Developmental / complex trauma
Arises from rupture, neglect or misattunement in early attachment relationships. It weaves itself into the fabric of identity — shaping how we perceive ourselves, our relationships and the world. NARM was developed precisely for this territory.
The child's silent sacrifice
Children unconsciously protect their bond with caregivers by giving up their own reality: to preserve the parental image they turn the negativity toward themselves, concluding “something is wrong with me.” In NARM, this process of splitting is the developmental root of shame-based identity and self-blame in adulthood.
The Clinical Framework
The four pillars of NARM
The model's therapeutic process rests on four clinical skills that feed one another within the session.
1. Clarifying the therapeutic contract
The process begins with clients discovering what they want for themselves. The compass is not the therapist's agenda but the client's desire for change: “What do you want for yourself here today?”
2. Asking exploratory questions
Questions asked with curiosity — rather than interpretation or direction — open space for clients to recognise the patterns of their inner world for themselves.
3. Reinforcing agency
As we recognise our active role in organising our own experience, we step out of the victim position: we own our patterns not as things that “happen to us,” but as strategies that once protected us.
4. Reflecting psychobiological shifts
Emotional and somatic shifts arising during the session — a deep breath, softening shoulders, brightening eyes — are caught and reflected in the moment, so the nervous system registers the new experience of regulation.
Organising Principles
Five principles that guide the model
i.
Supporting connection and organisation
Healing moves from isolation toward connection; from fragmentation toward inner coherence.
ii.
Exploring identity
Shame- and pride-based identity patterns are explored without judgment; disidentification is supported.
iii.
Working in present time
Change happens only in the present moment; the past is discussed insofar as it illuminates the present.
iv.
Supporting emotional completion
The aim is not emotional discharge, but the safe completion of unfinished emotional processes.
v.
Re-regulation of all body systems
Working with subtle nervous-system shifts supports a lasting, physiological equilibrium.
Five Survival Styles
From core needs to survival styles
When the five core life themes go unmet, each turns into its own adaptive survival style. These styles represent success, not pathology — yet in adulthood they cut us off from our authentic self.
Connection
BağlantıWhen unmet: disconnection from the world and the body, a sense of “I don't belong here,” retreat into thinking or spirituality.
Attunement
UyumlanmaWhen unmet: not knowing or not voicing one's own needs; meeting everyone else's needs while postponing one's own.
Trust
GüvenWhen unmet: a need to stay in control, an expectation of betrayal, inability to surrender; power taking the place of safety.
Autonomy
ÖzerklikWhen unmet: inability to say no, guilt around boundaries, outward compliance while resentment builds inside.
Love–Sexuality
Sevgi–CinsellikWhen unmet: a split between heart and sexuality, avoidance of intimacy, earning love through performance and appearance.
The Life Force
The fuel of healing: the impulse toward connection
In NARM, every human being carries an organismic impulse moving toward connection — just as a plant moves toward the sun. Therapy's task is not to manufacture this life force, but to recognise the obstacles in its way and accompany their dissolving.
The brain uses the past to predict the future, which is why it tends to recreate old patterns. Using resource-oriented techniques that track subtle nervous-system shifts, NARM interrupts this loop: connection to the body and to others makes healing re-regulation possible.
Explore the NARM trainingWant to learn NARM hands-on?
International curriculum with live demonstrations and supervision. Pre-registration for the Turkey program is open.