NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM)
A developmental-trauma model that works with attachment, identity, and nervous-system patterns together, focused on present-day capacity rather than only revisiting the past.
NARM, developed by Laurence Heller, focuses on developmental trauma, the ongoing relational and attachment injuries that happen in childhood, distinct from single-incident trauma. Rather than centering the work on retelling traumatic history, NARM emphasizes building awareness of how early patterns show up right now, in identity, relationships, and the nervous system, and building capacity for connection and regulation in the present. It integrates body awareness with a psychodynamic understanding of identity and attachment, without requiring extensive narrative retelling of the past.
A body-inclusive model for developmental trauma that emphasizes present capacity, not just past events.
What to expect: Sessions blend conversation with body awareness, your practitioner will ask about present-moment experience, sensations, patterns in current relationships, more than asking for a detailed trauma history. The focus stays oriented toward capacity and resource: what's already working, what supports regulation, alongside the harder material. This can feel different from trauma approaches that center heavily on narrative retelling.
Good fit for: You want to work with developmental or attachment-related patterns without extensive retelling, You're drawn to an approach that includes the body without requiring somatic experience, You're looking for something focused on present capacity, not just past events
Explore for: Long-standing relational or identity patterns rooted in early experience, Difficulty with connection, self-worth, or feeling grounded in who you are, Wanting a trauma-informed approach that doesn't require reliving your history in detail, Nervous system patterns like hypervigilance or shutdown that feel tied to early experience
Not the right fit if: You want a structured, protocol-based trauma treatment with a defined session count, You're seeking a purely narrative, talk-based processing of specific traumatic events
How to choose a practitioner: Ask about their training through the NARM Training Institute, the method's primary certifying body Ask how they balance body awareness with conversation in a typical session Clarify their experience with developmental trauma specifically, as distinct from single-incident trauma
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