In the video below, I help you work out what to do next when you are struggling to implement memory reconsolidation. In this video, I… Read More »When You Are Struggling To Implement Memory Reconsolidation
Elsewhere on this site, we have looked at what memory reconsolidation is and the steps needed for the brain to do it. We have looked… Read More »How To Check If Trauma Therapy Has Been Successful
In the imaginal protocol described in recent posts (and linked to below), the client has chosen a memory from their past that is representative of… Read More »How to be flexible and creative when working with trauma
So far we have laid the groundwork for the imaginal experience that is to come. We now have the feelings from the original event the… Read More »How To Guide The Therapy Session That Removes Trauma
From the previous two sessions, we now have the target feelings that we wish to replace, and the new responses that we will replace them… Read More »How to create reimagined Scenes That Remove trauma
In my last post, I described a process that gathers the trauma responses identified from an old, significant scene. In this article, I will show… Read More »How to generate feelings that mismatch trauma response
In this post, I want to dig deeper into the first session of my 4 part imaginal protocol, aimed at triggering memory reconsolidation. In this… Read More »Harvesting client feelings in trauma work
As I have written elsewhere on this site, there are many ways to do imaginal work so that memory reconsolidation can occur. The Ideal Parent… Read More »If Batman Came To Therapy
It took the young woman a good while and a lot of effort to climb thirty-five feet. There were several ladders, one after the other.… Read More »actively creating mismatches for trauma healing
Memory reconsolidation depends upon mismatch experiences inviting the brain to update old learning, including trauma responses. In this post, we will look at how to… Read More »How to use the imagination to erase trauma
Memory reconsolidation is a brain mechanism. It happens physiologically in the brain. Just as pupil dilation is a biological eye mechanism. Memory reconsolidation is not… Read More »Are You Aiming For Transformational Change In Therapy?
Do you have a client who complains of always being in a rush? There are always too few hours in the day for them. They… Read More »The client who is always in a rush
In this video (and the article below) I show you how to work with the client belief of “I am not enough.” Don’t miss my… Read More »How to work with “I am not enough”
In this video and article, I show you how to follow nervous system responses. I will teach you how to reach an understanding of why… Read More »How to understand Safety with the movie question
Mismatches are key to giving the brain what it needs to overwrite trauma response. Would you like a tool that could reliably reveal mismatch information?… Read More »“What’s right with you?” – the tool to reliably reveal mismatches
Repetition of mismatch experiences is the key ingredient to removing trauma responses. But what does that mean, and how do we do it in practice?… Read More »The Role Of Repetition In Trauma Removal
In this post, I want to talk about the chronology of trauma. It’s an aspect that can sometimes be overlooked. When it comes to timelines,… Read More »The Importance of The Aftermath of traumatic events
In this post, I will take you through the 7 key questions from Mary and Bob Goulding. The Gouldings operated in the 70s and 80s.… Read More »7 Key Questions That Lead To Discovery With Your Therapy Clients
Video Transcript: In this video, I want to look at the issue of self worth, something that comes up for therapists an awful lot, where… Read More »How to work with self worth
You can either watch the video below or read the article. So what happens if you’re working with a client and you want to help… Read More »Do we need to delve into history to erase trauma?
To trigger the brain’s in-built mechanism for change, it must have an experience of mismatch. An old prediction is broken. There is a lightbulb moment… Read More »The importance of experiential therapy work – and how to do it
A key task of therapists who seek to trigger memory reconsolidation is to help identify the client’s “target learning”. But what is meant by this… Read More »What do we mean by target learning in therapy?
Memory reconsolidation is the brain’s own mechanism for creating transformational change. It is not dependent on any therapy model. Rather, any therapy approach that produces… Read More »3 SOURCES OF TRANSFORMATIONAL MISMATCH
Perfectionists are those who put pressure on themselves to be perfect. Good enough is not good enough. They experience the events of life as a… Read More »3 Ways to make sense of your perfectionist client
Some clients get caught in a cycle of hopelessness despite being driven and successful. Feeling unfulfilled with life, they set goals to achieve. “When I… Read More »When I get that, then i’ll be happy
Do you have a client who finds it hard to just have fun without making themself pay for it somehow? Do they feel guilty whenever… Read More »Self-Punishing fun and enjoyment after abuse
In this article, I want to show how the lens of unmet needs is a powerful way to look at trauma and psychological injury. As… Read More »The healing power of meeting needs as a mismatch
There are many ways to trigger memory reconsolidation. It can happen conversationally, where the client bumps into a mismatch that causes a prediction error. It… Read More »The importance of autonomic spark in imaginal reenactments
When memory reconsolidation occurs, the change is transformational. The brain needs a mismatch experience that lands. It then needs the mismatch to be repeated. The… Read More »How to know if memory reconsolidation worked
What if you are working with an adult who suffers from the effects of past trauma. Let’s say that they suffered physical, mental and sexual… Read More »Working with complex trauma and abuse
When I was training to be a therapist, my first trainer had a mantra about therapy. It stuck with me. He would say: “Therapy is… Read More »“Therapy is a process, not an event” – is IT true?
Many of our clients have histories that result in a felt loss of the ability to self protect. In this article, I want to look… Read More »How to invite trauma clients into self-protection with just one word
When a client has suffered from their problems for many years, it can sometimes feel a particular challenge to us as therapists. Every day, the… Read More »A new way to think of “deeply entrenched” trauma
What can you do when your client has low self-worth? You have tried everything but your client is not engaging. The low self-worth is so… Read More »3 Ways to mismatch low self-worth
In an earlier article, A 4 Step Road Map For Imaginal Re-Enactment Work, I outline an example process for imaginal work. It details one possible… Read More »In Imaginal Scenes, must the client reimagine the original people?
Are you working with someone who holds negative beliefs about themself? They suffer low self-esteem and tell themself “I’m not good enough?” The belief weaves… Read More »How to work with negative beliefs like “I’m not good enough”
Do you have anxious or depressed clients? Do you notice that they have a pattern of repressing their emotions? Do you try to coax them… Read More »Anxiety and depression: How to follow the lead of your client’s nervous system
Once you know about memory reconsolidation, it becomes a great gift. Yet it can also be a curse. You now know that there’s a brain… Read More »Can memory reconsolidation work give you burnout?
Mismatch experiences are the key to transformational change. These are the moments whereby old expectations are disconfirmed. The client has an experience of prediction error.… Read More »3 mismatches for transformational change in therapy
I want to show you a mesmerising film I saw on YouTube (see below). It has nothing to do with therapy. Yet it has everything… Read More »This movie unwittingly shows your client’s struggle
In this article, I will outline a case study showing the memory reconsolidation process in action. You will see that it created permanent change without… Read More »Case study: Darren keeps breaking down in tears
A common question that arises with trauma work relates to the timeframe of the work itself. Neuroscience lays out what the brain needs to trigger… Read More »Is there a time frame for successful trauma work?
Why do certain techniques and approaches work with trauma? How do they produce an outcome that is so transformational and quick that they seem miraculous?… Read More »The Rewind Technique and why it works – step by step
Are you racked with self doubt? Do you tell yourself that you’re a terrible therapist? Do you feel anxious and not good enough? Do you… Read More »Do you suffer from therapist imposter syndrome?
Memory reconsolidation is an exciting discovery given that it allows for the erasure of trauma responses. But are you put off by the fact that… Read More »Does memory reconsolidation restrict how you do therapy?
One of the ways I help trigger memory reconsolidation with clients is through imaginal reenactment. This involves reimagining a painful scene so that it goes… Read More »What if imagining new scenes results in grief or anger
In the midst of covid, many therapists are reporting an increase in clients feeling numb. Their motivation is low and they describe themselves as going… Read More »How to help people who feel numb
The session ends, the client leaves and you feel sick to your stomach. You messed up. Your goal was to help but now look. You… Read More »How to handle making a blunder with your client
You’re seeing a client and you can’t figure out what disorder they have. You can see that they are struggling in areas of life. You… Read More »How do I figure out my client’s disorder, and do I really need to?
Do you ever have a client who gets it logically, but they don’t believe it? They cognitively understand the change needed, but things don’t change… Read More »When Clients Know It Logically, But They Don’t Believe It
Polyvagal theory, developed by Stephen Porges, is an explanation of what happens with the nervous system when faced with safety or threat. He describes how… Read More »How to use polyvagal theory in the therapy room
What can we do when our clients self-sabotage? We see them making progress towards their goals and then it’s like they hit a self destruct… Read More »Why does your client self-sabotage their success?
What if you felt confident and at ease no matter what your client brought to you? What if you knew exactly what you need to… Read More »A 4 Step road map for imaginal re-enactment work
What if you have a client whose main difficulty comes from the very relationships they crave? Their life may seem pretty together, but relationships are… Read More »How to help your client finally have a fulfilling relationship
You’ve completed your studies. You’re working with clients. And you’re burning out. Not only is the workload heavy. But worse, you feel like you know… Read More »Feel like you still know nothing but have no time to learn more? try this
Memory reconsolidation is the only known brain mechanism that results in transformational change. Transformational change is the kind that is permanent and effortless to maintain.… Read More »What are the 3 steps to memory reconsolidation?
Are you a therapist who has a real desire to do trauma work, especially complex trauma? Are you feeling confused about which modality works best… Read More »Overwhelmed by which therapy to use for trauma?
In this article, I will show you why feelings are so important to transformational change. I will show you how to identify the responses to… Read More »What feelings need to change to overwrite trauma?
You have done great work with your trauma clients. Their lives improved and they no longer need your help. For each client that moved on,… Read More »Is covid bringing back your ‘healed’ trauma clients?
One of the more common presentations in therapy is a client suffering from anxiety. You will see anxiety so often as a therapist. Sometimes it… Read More »What is the best therapy approach for anxiety?
Your client wants to find more meaning in life. They have a yearning for a life of greater purpose. Yet they struggle to identify what… Read More »10 ways to help clients find meaning in life
Do you find yourself struggling whenever a client says they have had a good week? Do you panic a little and think “so what will… Read More »What to do when your client has had a good week?
Do you ever feel stuck with a client? Are you working hard on what the client wants to change but find that the suffering continues… Read More »How To Find Your Client’s True Target Of Change
Your client has low motivation. It’s difficult because they don’t feel like doing anything. Any attempts to improve life go nowhere because they don’t feel… Read More »Does your client want to be more motivated?
So you have a client and you feel stuck with them? They are showing up to therapy but nothing is moving. They say they want… Read More »Is your client resistant to change?
What happens when you’re giving therapy, and the person opposite has the exact same problem that you do? They mention thoughts and feelings that you… Read More »What if your client has the problem you have?