In their ground-breaking and best-selling new book, The Practical Guide to Healing Developmental Trauma,  Laurence Heller Ph.D. and Brad Kammer, LMFT present a practical guide to the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), one of the first comprehensive therapeutic models for addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and complex trauma (C-PTSD). In this book, they share therapeutic applications, concrete skills, and exercises for personal growth. This new book was written to support the healing of attachment, relational, developmental, cultural, and intergenerational trauma, and it serves as a therapeutic guide for helping professionals working with complex trauma or anyone wanting to lead a more fulfilling life.

With over 70 years of clinical experience and many thousands of students and supervisees between them, Heller and Kammer are offering a depth-oriented, somatic-based, relationally-focused healing modality that stands at the forefront of the trauma-informed movement. For this event, they will discuss the healing of complex trauma, focusing on topics such as differentiating PTSD (shock trauma) and C-PTSD (complex trauma), how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) lead to shame and various symptoms and disorders, the ways NARM therapeutic skills can be applied for resolving the impact of complex trauma, and what practical tips they can share for those in attendance to take away for their clients and themselves.  Heller and Kammer will explain why they created this model and what makes it different from other trauma treatment modalities.

As Gabor Maté, MD (FAN ’22) writes about their work: “This book, from two experienced and insightful practitioners, offers a thorough and clear guide to a modality of therapy far deeper than the prevailing cognitive and behavioral treatments. It is highly promising because it goes beyond the surface manifestations to the root causes and dynamics of human distress.”

Heller and Kammer will be in conversation with Stefanie Klein, LCSW, assistant training director and faculty member for the NARM Training Institute.

This event suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded and available on our website and YouTube channel.

This event is presented by Family Action Network (FAN). Gorton Center is proud to partner with FAN as a sponsor of this event to bring this programming to our patrons.