Transforming Touch®

Transforming Touch® is a treatment modality that follows a specific protocol that is repeated every session. Repeating the same protocol every session allows the nervous system (the conscious and unconscious) to ‘know’ what to expect. This ‘knowing’ provides a sense of safety that often was missing early in life. This new experience and sense of safety can allow the nervous system to respond in new ways. Clients often report that they responded differently or felt different in a given routine situation without effort or conscious thought.

Transforming Touch® was developed by Stephen Terrell, PsyD, SEP during his 20+ years of experience working in the field of developmental and early childhood trauma, much of this work has been with adoptive families and children. He found approaches such as talking therapy and various other more common somatic approaches were minimally effective.

All parts of each client are welcome. The parts that want to talk, the parts that want to be quiet, the parts that want to be seen and those that want to hide. There is no need to perform or to be a certain way.

Because many clients live with the effects of trauma that has its roots in historical, generational, in utero and early childhood experiences, Naomi’s practice focuses mainly on the use of Transforming Touch® which can touch into the experiences that occurred in pre-verbal times. This modality does not require a narrative or ‘story’ and focuses on providing consistent safe presence and attention rather than trying to ‘fix’. Transforming Touch® supports the nervous system which is responsible for activating our Fight-Flight-Freeze defense mechanisms. These responses helped us survive; however, when the nervous system gets stuck in any of these modes we experience and live with the effects of trauma. Anxiety, depression, loneliness, fear, anger, PTSD, stress, excessive sleeping, self-soothing using alcohol and drugs can all be side effects of trauma.

Bringing grounded, focused attention to key areas of the body in a safe and consistent process, can assist the nervous system to gradually release its constriction and become less ‘stuck,’ allowing the body and mind to return to a restful state. This ‘settling’ of the nervous system often results in a calming of the mind and body. Some of the benefits of this new state may be: increased ease in social engagement, decrease in sudden mood swings, more restful sleep, a greater felt sense of safety, increased ability to distinguish between real and imagined threats, and a greater ability to enjoy the present moment.

Training

In 2010 when Naomi first encountered Peter A Levine’s book Healing Trauma on a table in a bookstore, hope was revived in regards to dealing with her own experiences of trauma. Since then she has engaged in training to provide help to others.

Training in this area includes:

• Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner certification (SEP), developed by Peter A Levine PhD, ERGOS Institute for Somatic Education

• Touch Skills Training for Trauma Therapists, developed and taught by Kathy Kain MA

• Somatic Resilience and Regulation: Early Trauma, developed and taught by Kathy Kain MA and Stephen Terrell PsyD

• Transforming the Experience-Based Brain, (Transforming Touch®), developed and taught by Stephen Terrell PsyD

Words from the Theory