Why validation is not enough in trauma therapy

The passive therapist doesn't help anyone.

Sitting there, nodding your head, validating a client while they get lost in the woods of their own story... that's not empathy. It's just... spinning.

Especially when it comes to rage.

When a client walks in and starts venting about their "anger problems," most therapists try to manage it. They suggest deep breathing. They talk about coping skills. They're clipping the leaves off the weed.

But rage isn't a behavior.

It's a procedural response.

It's automatic.

Unconscious.

A "fight" response from a nervous system that doesn't feel safe. It's a neural pathway carved by early relational trauma... and it's running on autopilot now.

You don't manage a procedural response. You work with it. You help reprogram it.

But you can't do that if you're just following wherever the client goes.

To actually help someone move through rage... you have to be what I call "healthy-way bossy." You need the clinical authority to look at the "crisis of the week," validate it for a moment, and then say: "I hear that your boss is a jerk... but let's work with what's happening in your body right now."

Your steadiness is what creates their safety. If you're too scared to guide the treatment... they'll never feel safe enough to follow you out of the trauma.

In this class, I'm showing the clients in my Trauma mastery program how to step into that guide role. I'll show them how to work with the procedural underpinnings of rage... and how to be directive without being intrusive.

And just like the last time, you can grab a guest pass if you want to see how this framework actually works in real time.

The Details: Advanced Treatment Planning for Complex & Developmental Trauma Framework

I'd love to show you what this looks like.

Grab your Guest Pass here: https://integrativepsych.teachable.com/l/pdp/advanced-treatment-planning-for-complex-developmental-trauma

Esther

P.S. I'm also going to give you the specific language for "tracking the shifts."

When you can point to the moment a client's procedural response changes in real-time... they stop feeling stuck and start seeing the transformation happening.

Grab your Guest Pass here: https://integrativepsych.teachable.com/l/pdp/advanced-treatment-planning-for-complex-developmental-trauma