Page 17 - NARM Model for Working with Affect

NARM Affect Core Principle: Fear & Anxiety
§FEAR is in response to an actual threat
§ANXIETY is in response to an internal (or imaginary) threat
§In Shock Trauma: Fear is a brainstem response that is part of a mobilization leading to fight/flight
§i.e., the amygdala alerts us to threat, facilitates a fear response that will activate our survival strategies (fight/flight/freeze)
§In Developmental Trauma: In children, fear is often in response to the threat of loss of the attachment relationship
§Fear is part of a psychobiological contraction process: in response to the feelings of having one’s needs unmet, the anger that accompanies that response, and the threat of attachment loss
• This is often unconscious and comes out indirectly, in psychological and physiological symptoms
NARM Model for Working with Affect Laurence Heller, PhD & Brad J Kammer, LMFT, LPCC 20