Our approach is grounded in contemporary research on attachment, nervous system regulation, and developmental trauma.

At Emotion Institute, we integrate Somatic Experiencing® and NARM® — two complementary models that help us understand how early experiences shape the way we relate to ourselves and others.

Trauma and the Nervous System

Somatic Experiencing®, developed by Peter A. Levine, is based on a simple but powerful understanding:

Trauma is not only about what happened.
It is about how the nervous system responded — and whether it was able to return to safety.

When stress responses remain incomplete, the body can stay in patterns of tension, anxiety, collapse, or hypervigilance.
By gently working with bodily sensations and regulation, we support the nervous system in restoring balance and resilience.

Developmental Trauma and Identity

The NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM®), developed by Larry Heller, focuses on the long-term impact of early relational experiences.

When important emotional needs were not fully met in childhood, we naturally developed adaptive strategies to survive.
Over time, these strategies can shape our identity, relationships, and sense of self.

NARM® helps us gently explore these patterns in the present moment — without reliving the past — and supports greater connection, agency, and emotional flexibility.

Why Relationship Matters

Research in attachment and neuroscience, including the work of Allan N. Schore and Stephen W. Porges, shows that:

Our brains develop within relationship.
Safety is biologically regulated.
Emotional healing happens through attuned connection.

This means that therapy is not only about talking.
It is about creating a safe, regulated space where new relational experiences become possible.

In Essence

We work with the nervous system.
We work with identity patterns shaped by early adaptation.
We work within relationship.

Healing is not about fixing what is wrong.
It is about restoring connection — within yourself and with others

What Makes This Different?

Many therapeutic approaches focus primarily on thoughts, behaviors, or past events.

Our work is different.

We focus on regulation before interpretation.
On connection before correction.
On safety before insight.

Rather than asking, “What is wrong with you?”,
we ask, “How did your system learn to survive?”

This shift changes everything.

By working with the nervous system, identity patterns, and relational safety in the present moment, we support lasting transformation — not through force, but through integration.

K.REISINGER, 2025