NEUROAFFECTIVE RELATIONAL MODEL (NARM)
NARM Therapy in Iowa City: Heal Attachment Wounds and Complex Trauma
Do you feel like you have struggled with healthy connection your whole life? NARM helps you understand why, and work towards changing that issue.
Complex trauma / C-PTSD
Attachment-focused
In-person + telehealth
IS THIS YOU?
The struggle with connection and trust
Even though you want closeness, you withdraw, create distance, or sabotage relationships just as they get close. You feel numb in your body and disconnected from your own emotions. There is a vague sense that something is fundamentally wrong with you. You have tried other therapies and processed some memories, but something still feels stuck.
WHAT IT IS
What is complex trauma, and what is NARM?
Complex trauma (C-PTSD)
Unlike a single event, it comes from repeated relational harm over time: childhood neglect, emotional cruelty, or caregivers who were unpredictable. It gets woven into who you think you are, shaping identity, not just memory.
NARM
The NeuroAffective Relational Model was built specifically for developmental and relational trauma. Rather than processing memories, it works with the survival patterns of disconnection you developed, and helps you gradually reconnect to your body, emotions, and capacity for closeness.
HOW NARM WORKS
A gradual return to connection
Survival patterns
We notice how you disconnect, in the present moment, not in stories about the past.
Somatic awareness
We pay attention to your nervous system directly in the moment, where the disconnection lives.
Relational presence
The therapeutic relationship becomes evidence that connection can be safe.
Reconnection
As trust builds, you reconnect to your body and revise the negatively held beliefs you have about yourself.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions about NARM
Does NARM involve talking about traumatic events in detail?
No. NARM focuses on patterns and present-moment experience, not retelling traumatic stories. That is one reason people find it does not retraumatize.
How long does NARM take?
It is typically longer-term work, because you are reorganizing deep patterns from early life. We move at a pace that feels safe.
Can I do this via telehealth?
Yes. Body-based work translates well online. You will want a quiet space where you can notice physical sensations.
Ready to reconnect?
Reach out and tell me what has been difficult. We will create a plan that feels safe and workable for you.
Your information is confidential. This form is not a HIPAA-secure channel, so please share only enough for me to reach you. I typically respond within 1 business day.
If you need urgent help or are in crisis, this form is not the fastest way to reach support. Call or text 988 any time, or call 911 in an emergency.