Working with the Phobia of Vulnerability in Trauma Treatment with Dr. Fisher

Abusers capitalize on their victims’ vulnerability. Without the power to escape or fight back, children are helpless in an unsafe world. It isn’t safe to cry, look frightened or voice any emotional needs for fear of punishment. Because they have no other choice than to appear “fine,” the brain and body instinctively develop habits that prevent showing vulnerability.

These strategies are adaptive in a threatening unsafe environment, but they become impediments in treatment. Years later, traumatized clients come for ‘help,’ but their phobia of vulnerability poses an obstacle for the therapist. Although most survivors of abuse can intellectually acknowledge that they were traumatized, talking about the events is overwhelming and frightening. Feeling emotion or acknowledging the hurt they experienced as little children automatically leads to shutting down or intellectualizing. We try to help them process the memories and emotions only to get blocked by clients’ inability to ‘go there.’

Successfully working with vulnerability-phobic clients begins with the therapist’s acceptance that vulnerable feelings invariably will stimulate fear. The perpetrator exploited their vulnerability. Therapists need to be equally interested in how they survived. Fortunately, modern trauma treatment affords us many ways to help survivors, including those who cannot ‘go there.’ In this webinar, Janina Fisher will share strategies for how to develop strong therapeutic alliances with these clients and how to manage our own needs for them to be vulnerable.

In this webinar, Janina Fisher will share strategies for how to develop strong therapeutic alliances with these clients and how to manage our own needs for them to be vulnerable.