Complete NARM™ Practitioner Training Programme Curriculum

An overview of taught topics during the 2 Year NARM Practitioner Training*

Module 1

• NARM theoretical orientation
• Working with shock and developmental trauma
• Working with top-down and bottom-up integrative approach
• NARM organising principles
• Overview of 5 adaptive survival styles
• Distortions of life force
• Distress and healing cycles
• Pride and shame-based identifications
• Reframing attachment and attachment loss
• Introducing the 4 pillars of NARM
• Establishing a therapeutic "contract”
• The NARM Relational Model
• Connection survival style
• Connection: Clients whose access to sensations and feelings are compromised

Module 2

• Developmental process: Attachment and separation-individuation
• Asking exploratory questions
• Somatic mindfulness
• Attunement survival style
• Identifying and using resources
• Working in present time with dual awareness
• Reflecting positive shifts
• Autonomy survival style
• Working with anger and aggression
• Working with shame and guilt

Module 3

• Trust survival style
• Core vs default emotions
• Anger and aggression
• Narcissism and objectification
• Narcissistic vs sadistic abuse
• Supporting agency
• Love-sexuality survival style
• The psychobiological process of shame (“shame as a verb”)
• Tracking expansion and contraction/connection and disconnection
• “Drilling down” / deconstruction of experience (in the function of disidentification)
• NARM languaging
• Deepening study into the connection survival style issues, symptoms and related disorders
• The polyvagal theory
• Trait-survival style-personality disorder continuum
• Identifying core dilemma: Core themes vs survival strategies (behaviours, symptoms, etc.)
• Countertransference and the traps of goal-oriented, solution-focused psychotherapy

Module 4

• How to develop a working hypothesis
• Freeze and intrapsychic conflict
• Self-hatred and self-rejection
• An overview of NARM’s different orientation to working with personality disorders
• Therapist’s countertransference acting-out and re-enactment
• Unmanaged empathy and therapist efforting
• The interplay of the survival styles: Primary and secondary patterns
• Survival styles as they relate to intimacy and sexuality
• Developing capacity for pleasure
• Working with couples
• Working with identity
• Disidentification: Loneliness and freedom
• Supporting increasing complexity, capacity and resiliency
• Addressing the physical structure of the adaptive survival styles
• Working with the social engagement channels: Eyes, ears, face and touch
• Integrating NARM effectively into our clinical practice
• Addressing identity from both a psychological and non-Western perspective

* NARM's unique organic approach to healing developmental trauma means that topics and schedules may be subject to change.