An Introduction to NARM®
The Dilemma of Closeness
How Developmental Trauma
Impacts Our Capacity for Connection and Autonomy
“Within each of us, there is a spontaneous movement toward connection, health, and aliveness. Regardless of how much we have withdrawn and isolated ourselves, or how severe the trauma we have experienced, there is, at a very deep level in each of us, a force that moves us toward connection and healing. This force, inherent in each of us, can be compared to what makes a plant turn toward the sun. This organic impulse is the essence of the NARM approach.”
Dr. Larry Heller, founder of NARM
How Developmental Trauma Impacts
Our Capacity for Connection and Autonomy
We all long for connection, closeness, and intimacy. At the same time, we want to be independent, able to set boundaries, and live life on our own terms. Yet we often experience these fundamental human needs as conflicting forces—as though having more of one means sacrificing the other.
This dilemma appears in many areas of life. At work, we may feel torn between the desire to be independent and self-reliant and the need for security. In relationships, we may long for closeness while fearing the loss of freedom. And in sexuality, we may wish to let go and surrender fully, yet feel that we need to hold back or stay in control.
To manage this tension, we develop strategies such as negotiating compromises or avoiding conflict. Sometimes we give up parts of ourselves to preserve connection. At other times, we sacrifice closeness to maintain our sense of independence.
But what if intimacy doesn’t require us to give up ourselves? And what if autonomy doesn’t have to come at the expense of connection?
From a NARM perspective, the roots of this dilemma are often linked to developmental trauma. Early adaptations influence how we relate to others, to ourselves, and especially to our own hearts. As adults, we may find ourselves longing for the very closeness we fear, or defending our independence while feeling isolated as a result.
About the NARM Approach
The NeuroAffective Relational Model™ (NARM®) is a contemporary psychotherapeutic approach to working with developmental trauma, complex trauma, and their long-term effects on identity, emotions, the body, and relationships.
One of its innovative features is that NARM integrates “bottom-up” and “top-down” work. This means that the approach attends not only to the thoughts, narratives, and identifications that organize our experience, but also to how trauma affects the nervous system, the body, emotional regulation, and our sense of aliveness.
For this reason, NARM works not only through understanding and talking, but also through more finely attuned tracking of what is happening in the body in the here and now. This opens up the possibility of greater self-regulation, greater connection, and deeper inner change.
It is a non-regressive, non-pathologizing, resource-oriented approach that integrates work with the nervous system, identity, emotions, and relationships. The approach is both precise and deeply respectful of the person.
About the Workshop
In this two-day experiential workshop, we will explore how developmental trauma impacts our capacity for connection, autonomy, and intimacy.
In psychotherapy, this dilemma also arises in the relationship between client and therapist. How can clients allow themselves to receive support without feeling that they are losing their autonomy? Can they express disagreement or set a boundary without experiencing it as a threat to the relationship? For us as therapists, these questions also invite us to explore our own participation: how do we support connection while making room for the client’s choices, boundaries, and pace?
Drawing on the principles of NARM (NeuroAffective Relational Model®), developed by Dr. Laurence Heller, we will also explore the following questions:
What makes it difficult for us and our clients to make room for both the need for connection and the need for autonomy in relationships at the same time?
What do we get in touch with within ourselves when we choose to follow our impulse toward greater closeness or greater independence?
Lead trainer: Stephan Niederwieser
Stephan Niederwieser has worked as a therapist for more than three decades. His therapeutic training began with Hakomi in the late 1980s, followed by extensive training in various trauma-oriented approaches, including Somatic Experiencing and subsequently NARM, which now forms the foundation of his clinical work. His style is guided by a quiet curiosity about how human beings come to believe they are who they are—and how, even after early adversity, they can reconnect with their natural sense of trust, dignity, and authentic self-expression.
Stephan is a NARM teacher and an assisting trainer in the NARM Post-Masters Fellow Certificate Program. As a member of the NARM teaching team, he trains and supervises therapists in many countries around the world.
What Leading Experts Say About NARM®
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“The NARM approach represents a significant advancement in our understanding of developmental trauma. By addressing the adaptive survival styles that once protected us but now limit our capacity for connection, NARM® offers a compassionate path toward authentic selfhood.” Dr. Peter Levine, |
“NARM’s integration of top-down and bottom-up approaches creates a uniquely effective methodology for working with developmental trauma. It honors both the wisdom of the body and the importance of meaning-making in the healing process.”
Dr. Stephen Porges, |
Водещ: Щефан Нидервийзер
Щефан е преподавател в NARM и асистиращ обучител в програмата NARM Post-Masters Fellow Certificate Program. Като член на преподавателския екип на NARM, той обучава и супервизира терапевти в много страни по света.
Какво казват водещи специалисти за NARM®
„NARM представлява значим напредък в нашето разбиране за травмата на развитието. Като адресира адаптивните стилове на оцеляване, които някога са ни защитавали, но сега ограничават нашия капацитет за свързване, NARM предлага състрадателен път към автентичното ни Аз.“
д-р Питър Левин, основател на Somatic Experiencing
„Интеграцията в NARM на подходи „отгоре-надолу“ и „отдолу-нагоре“ създава уникално ефективна методология за работа с травма на развитието. Тя почита както мъдростта на тялото, така и значението на смислообразуването в лечебния процес.“
д-р Стивън Порджис, създател на Поливагалната теория
Information
Date
January 23 – 24
Hours
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.,
with a one-hour lunch break
Venue
Hemus Hotel
Sofia
Participation Fee:
€230 for payments received by 20th December
and €270 thereafter.
Registration form
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