what is Trauma resiliency model (TRM)?
The Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) is a therapeutic approach designed to help individuals manage and heal from the effects of trauma. Developed by the Trauma Resource Institute, TRM focuses on stabilizing the nervous system through somatic (body-based) techniques.
The background of TRM lies in integrating neuroscience with trauma treatment, emphasizing the physical aspect of trauma. A traumatic experience can change the way the brain works, leaving it in fight-or-flight mode. It affects the body’s stress response, and in cases of post-traumatic stress, both the body and brain become hypervigilant and over active.
The trauma resiliency model aims to help survivors of trauma better manage their daily lives through somatic treatments, which aim to teach people how to understand and control the physical sensations related to fear and threats.
Benefits of the Trauma Resiliency Model
The trauma resiliency model helps clients regulate the nervous system, reduce hyperarousal, and restore a sense of safety and empowerment to their everyday lives.
By emphasizing self-regulation and providing practical tools, TRM helps individuals not only reprocess traumatic events but also:
Improve Emotional Regulation
Through techniques like grounding and mindfulness, TRM improves emotional regulation by helping individuals recognize and manage overwhelming emotions effectively.
Increase Self-Awareness
TRM helps facilitate better self-awareness by helping clients learn to identify triggers and early signs of distress, empowering them to intervene before emotions escalate.
Strengthen Coping Skills
TRM strengthens coping skills by equipping individuals with resilience-building coping mechanisms that promote adaptive responses to stressors, supporting long-term recovery and emotional well-being.
The Trauma Resiliency Model at Resolutions
The trauma resiliency model revolves around the somatic experience of trauma; acknowledging the physical and neurological impact of fear, the biology behind fear and trauma, and the importance of navigating these emotions through the body in order to affect the mind. As such, trauma resiliency begins with education.
Individuals learn about the impact of trauma on the nervous system and acquire skills to regulate their physiological responses, such as grounding techniques and mindfulness practices. Grounding and tracking are the most fundamental skills within the TRM framework, learning to stave off panic and acknowledge and observe the body’s reaction to stress in a tense situation.
Resourcing is the next step. In addition to tracking physical reactions to trauma and grounding oneself in moments of fear or adversity, resourcing is about identifying and harnessing positive emotions through happy memories, or thoughts that create feelings of comfort and peace.
Self-soothing gestures are also part of the trauma resilience model. These can include protective movements, spiritual movements, gestures of release, or gestures that elicit feelings of calm, such as rhythmic motion, dancing, or tapping your foot.
In cases of severe stress, the trauma resilience model also teaches ways to “snap out” of potential panic, when the nervous system is “stuck” in a high or low zone. These grounding strategies include counting backwards while walking across the room, taking note of a subtle sound in the background, naming objects around you, or drinking a glass of water.
At Resolutions, TRM is often delivered through structured sessions with trained therapists guiding clients through each stage of somatic therapy.
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