Page 38 - NARM Model for Working with Affect

NARM Affect Core Principle: Emotions & Identifications
§In NARM, we ask ourselves the fundamental question:
Does feeling this emotion support increasing disidentification (adult consciousness) or stronger identification with early object relations (child consciousness)?
§We believe that all emotions are NOT created equal:
§We distinguish between Primary Emotions, those that serve to increase disidentification, and Default Emotions, those that keep us bound to old survival style patterns and identifications
• Default Emotions: habitual and automatic emotions which take the client into familiar territory
• Primary Emotions: the authentic, spontaneous expression of our inner experience
§We particularly want to help clients reconnect with two primary emotions that individuals often avoid: anger and grief
NARM Model for Working with Affect Laurence Heller, PhD & Brad J Kammer, LMFT, LPCC 45