Testimonials from practitioners trained in the 2023-2024 NARM™ Program in Athens which ended on Αpril 2024
“I decided to train on relational and developmental trauma with the NARM approach, guided by the excellent book that describes the method and my intuition. I set out to deal scientifically with trauma and I met me very substantially as a person but also as a therapist.
I was very surprised to find out that this approach brought me back very vividly to my therapeutic identity and again actively turned my gaze towards me and the way I work therapeutically. It brought me back to the value my attitude has within my therapeutic identity. This is the one huge benefit that guides me to self-care and prevent burnout.
The second benefit is the very structured method, as it is based on survival standards, which makes it clear and practical as an approach.The advantage of the method, for me, is that it integrates different models and, thus, it is rich, flexible and versatile.
The third benefit is the connection with an excellent and diverse team of trainers, who support the approach itself. To the great strengths of the program I will add the variety of many approaches and countries of the trainees.
Finally, the organization, the perfect framing and the great emphasis on energy, rhythm and the experiential practical part of education, I consider make it one of the very important educational experiences I have had so far.”
«For me, NARM came at a stage in my life to complete the puzzle, to put together the pieces that have always been there, both personally and professionally. I feel that this training worked personally as a transformation, as the most nuclear, element for me was that my attitude to life and the therapeutic attitude are essentially identical, so this process worked at the same time therapeutically and educationally, keeping a wonderful balance.
Coming from cognitive training, NARM offered me a more holistic perspective, including the sense of body and emotion, the experiential importance of mindfulness, broadened my confidence in myself, which in essence strengthened my personal "attitude" both as a therapist and on a personal level.
Concepts such as presence, trust, transparency, friendly curiosity, authenticity acquired for me a form of value in my life / therapeutic attitude. The training team was unique and each one gave a more personal perspective to the implementation of NARM, which as a process enriched my own perspective. The training may have been completed, but the journey of NARM for me I feel will be ongoing for life as it keeps pace with the flow of life and it has a warm feeling, like sunlight on the skin! Thank you so much.»
«The NARM Training in Greece from 2022 - 24 has been one of the best mental health trainings I have ever attended. The teaching was of a very high level and combined theory and practice in a way that was both harmonious and deep and provided ample space for putting into practice what we were learning. The result went beyond just a professional delivery of material, it touched me to my core. Thank you.»
«Training at NARM opened up rich horizons for me in my work as a therapist. I deepened my understanding of the therapeutic relationship, I opened up to understanding and respect for the self-motivation of patients, I feel much more confident in my work, my vision of the meaning of the psychotherapeutic process was broadened. I felt the team of trainers and trainees as a dynamic core of therapeutic offering. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.»
«NARM came to integrate all my previous trainings & experience and set a solid foundation in the therapeutic process with a meaningful and at the same time light effortless approach. I have seen more and more the complex trauma in the office in recent years, so for me it was important to receive a comprehensive training. In the process I was able to understand even deeper and heal several parts of my own, while also receiving a sense of calmness about how important my survival patterns and strategies had been so far. I am grateful also to the trainer, and the assistants, and the assistants in training and, of course, the organizers who created this safe, science-rich and caring learning environment.»
«Not many times in my life happens "This is it!!" moment, but few years ago it happened. I found a book "Healing developmental trauma" by Larry Heller, where he introduced NeuroAffective Relational Model and instantly I was hooked. Few years later, I finished NARM training in Greece, proud and happy to follow my impulse. It changed my perspective on (body) psychotherapy and life. I am happy to have the possibility to do this training and grateful to NARM Greece for organizing it and all involvedthere. It was fun and insightful meeting new people, who have the courage to look beyond and deeper into themselves. Thank you all for the support!»
«Excellent training! My way of working in individual sessions has changed a lot and I try to introduce it into family and couple sessions as well. It includes the "Body" in the healing process, something that is so lacking in the classical therapeutic approaches that are dominant in Greece today. It provides a framework of protection to the therapist and the client, so important for the treatment of trauma.»
«The least I will get from this training is the certification. Most of all are the people I met along with their personal stories that moved and inspired me, the knowledge that was often subversive, surprising and practically incredibly useful.
The kindness of the teachers, the patience and trust they showed us.
The group that bonded with each other and shared many things for the first time.
I hope we keep in touch.
It was much more than education. And I feel grateful to have been a member of NARM Athens 2023-2024.»
«This training helped me reconnect with the essence and vital energy that can be present in the psychotherapist's work, in a way that deepened the ability to be present with my clients, and at the same time enhances the safety of the therapeutic process. Education is structured and organized, in a way that has contributed significantly to the integration and consolidation of the knowledge cultivated. Finally, it lays a solid foundation for continuous learning through the relational attitude and approach of the therapist, which while on the one hand is a challenge for the therapist, on the other hand enriches and feeds a continuous personal development and growth.»
«For me, the NARM approach represents a significant paradigm shift in the process of psychotherapy. Being with the client instead of doing for the client, which is one of the fundamental elements of NARM, gives me the opportunity and the chance to authentically "meet" them in their desire for change.»
Testimonials from practitioners trained in the 2020-2022 NARM™ Program in Athens which ended on March 2022
«…NARM, the NeuroAffective Relational Model, is a tool that focuses, on the one hand, on the Here and Now and, on the other, creates the conditions for a therapeutic process that actively involves the client so that they come in contact with the awareness of the blockages that undermine the fulfillment of their desires. The therapist with his/her curious predisposition operates in a facilitative way without providing any directions or interpretations· in parallel with that, throughout the dialogue that takes shape in the process, the awareness and understanding of the needs on the part of the client increases. I'm glad I chose this tool to educate myself which I find extremely interesting, multifaceted and most importantly holistic.»
«…An excellent training! It provides therapists with significant tools for their work as well as for their personal development. An approach that brings safety to the healing process. It protects the therapist from over-involvement and helps the client to get the distance he/she needs to renegotiate any traumatic experiences. A unique experience, an exciting journey!»
«…For me it's been a fulfilling experience so far. It has certainly affected the way I work without even being able to say that I have acquired the knowledge I have been taught so far.»
«…The NARM training has been a nourishing process of learning and growth for me. NARM itself is a beautiful and practical model of how life works, and the Greece training program helped me to integrate theory and practice with these crucial themes of human development.»
«…My personal experience of NARM training has been and still is a very interesting journey both professionally and personally. In a way it seems to bring clarity to the gaps that existed in the therapeutic context (but also as a personal experience) in terms of how some "unexplained" emotional reactions emerge in people's/clients' lives. It also brings an open and compassionate approach to understanding and containing emotions. The overall way of organizing the online training has been extremely helpful. A big thank you for the outcome.»
«…NARM has really changed the way I am with clients, and the way I relate to myself. It has brought so much understanding of my own survival styles, and put words where I did not have any to explain what I was feeling or experiencing. NARM is not another tool which you can use in therapy, but a way of being and relating to people where they're at, which is so much more transformative. I really appreciated the level of organization of the Faculty team in delivering the training to us even in times of pandemic where travelling was impossible, and the support offered. I hold NARM dear to my heart and would really recommend the training to anyone in a helping profession. Thank you so much!»
«…NARM approach is more than a method, than a therapeutic tool! It is an attitude of acceptance and respect for the self and the other. The educational modules are efficient and complete, theoretically and experientially (practice, simulations and exercises that are perfectly connected with the theory). NARM therapeutic approach made it easier for me to experience a deep self-regulation, connection with myself in the here and now and at the same time connection with others. It supported me to connect with my vitality, my energy and to contain my reality as it is. By incorporating NARM approach in the treatment process I work in a more relaxed way without having to effort so much. Being in touch with myself I can "contain" the client and work with acceptance, respect in the here and now, emphasizing his/her potential and capabilities without making any interpretations. Treating them as an adult.»
«…NARM training has been for me a significant turning point in the way I approach myself and my clients. It is an approach that focuses on listening to self on three levels: body, thinking, psyche. At the same time, the therapist does not have to "effort" for the patient, but to make it easier for them to find their heart's desire and to recognize what prevents them from following it. Furthermore, in this approach the concept of "slow pace" comes to life.»
«…Finding myself at “home”. I came into NARM training thinking that my true desire was to learn more about developmental trauma and fight my way through my own attachment trauma. You see, I thought that what I’ve been searching for, all my life, was my way back “home”. But my deepest longing laid disguised…underneath. Now, I’m coming out of NARM training with the profound awareness that I’ve always been at “home”. As I allowed the echoes of my past fears and misconceptions to slowly deconstruct and drift away, I found myself at “home”; feeling content, serene and happy with every breath I take.»
«…My participation in NARM training helped me first and foremost to see deeper on a personal level my own developmental trauma and to understand how and to what extent it has affected the formation of my personality. My contact and familiarity with this model has evolved me on a professional level as a psychotherapist and made me feel more secure in being able to better manage cases with clients with similar issues. But I would like to place more emphasis on the fact that this training freed me in a way from my old established patterns and at the same time brought energy space inside me for more vitality, calm and joy, finally allowing myself to be ALSO vulnerable, not only strong.»
Comments are published anonymously for reasons of personal data protection.
Testimonials of participants in the 1st Seminar 'Introduction to the NARM approach' with Michael Mokrus that took place in November 2019:
"… The philosophy and practical approach of NARM as presented in theory and practice, gave me the opportunity to experience a unique experience and to consider a connection between group and cultural differences. I believe that the holistic NARM approach that integrates both the nervous system "As well as relational orientation, they can contribute to a fuller understanding of the Other and us as mental health professionals. It provides up-to-date clinical development interventions that use physical awareness and resource orientation to aid self-regulation in the nervous system."
"..The involvement of the psychotherapist in a process of greater self-awareness and connection with the body I believe can help the psychotherapeutic work and act protectively for both the therapist and the patient."
"I learned the basics of the NARM approach. I met tools that helped me in my personal and professional development .. "
"..The small sessions that took place, and the exercises with the couples, very nice material that influenced me, gave me thoughts and moved me!"
"..The theoretical presentation and the experiential sessions with the instructor were also very useful, but what really moved me was the power of the tangible experience that opens other possibilities and perspectives. How awareness and acceptance of bodily sensation and experience can bring change. "It was also the reason that made me want to participate in the training afterwards."
"..I was particularly touched and inspired by the quality of the" presence "of the therapist within the therapeutic process. And the important thing is that the presentation did not remain at a theoretical level but instead knowledge was transmitted through experiential exercises but also through the special way of the teacher to "bring" what he is talking about. "
"It was a very solid seminar and the same goes for conducting and organizing…"
"I felt that the acceptance we had from everyone and at all levels was very tender and caring"
We thank all the participants in our information event for the NARM approach that took place
on Saturday, February 1, in the welcoming space
of the Ionian Center.
The active presence of all and the creative interaction enriched
our first presentation.
Thank you!