Transforming Trauma

From altered states to embodied presence: Tracy Rae Clark on healing, music, and therapist development. We share stories to inform, inspire, and connect. They also serve as maps, helping people commemorate life experiences that have shaped their journeys. One NARM® practitioner inspires others by putting her stories into poems and lyrics, helping guide others in their own path to healing. Host Emily Ruth welcomes singer-songwriter and long-time NARM practitioner Tracy Rae Clark, LCSW, CPC, for a deeply introspective conversation. The pair explores how trauma, creativity, music, spirituality, and relational healing converged in Tracy's search for genuine connection and well-being. Transforming Trauma thanks Tracy for sharing her journey. Her honesty and commitment to healing represent what's possible when we stop trying to "fix" ourselves and instead spontaneously move toward connection and health. GUEST BIO First and foremost, Tracy Rae Clark (LCSW, CPC) is a human on a lifelong journey of aliveness, authenticity, and connection. A therapist, coach, consultant, and educator, Tracy works primarily with therapists, spiritual and business leaders, and individuals pursuing depth-oriented personal growth, supporting them to reconnect with their authentic selves. Since 2018, Tracy has been deeply immersed in the study and practice of NARM. She assists in the NARM Master Therapist Training programs through CTTC and is part of the Post-Master Fellow Certificate Program through the NARM Training Institute. In addition to NARM, Tracy practices Deep Brain Reorienting and studies Transformative Couples Therapy. With a rich background that includes work in a maximum-security women's prison, a trauma treatment center, and a Fortune 500 company, she brings a global and compassionate perspective to her work. A singer-songwriter, Tracy recently returned to music, now facilitating group singing to help others access their unique aliveness. To read the full show notes and discover more resources, visit https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/transformingtrauma SPACE: SPACE is an Inner Development Program of Support and Self-Discovery for Therapists on the Personal, Interpersonal, and Transpersonal Levels offered by the Complex Trauma Training Center. This experiential learning program offers an immersive group experience designed to cultivate space for self-care, community support, and deepening vitality in our professional role as therapists. Learn more about how to join. *** The Complex Trauma Training Center: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com View upcoming trainings: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/ Join us for this a transformative 2-day Intro to NARM® online workshop: https://bit.ly/narmintro *** The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD). CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care. We want to connect with you! Facebook @complextraumatrainingcenter Instagram @cttc_training LinkedIn YouTube

Have you ever slipped so far into a daydream that you felt detached from reality, your emotions, or your sense of self? Brief moments of dissociation are understandable and can even preserve our mental well-being in times of intense stress. Persistent dissociation, however, is something else entirely. It's a maladaptation that often hints at layers of complex trauma—and that can intimidate therapists. One clinician invites us to reconnect with the deeply human experience of "spacing out" and remain curious about the mind's capacity to protect and survive before referring our clients to another practitioner. On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth invites trauma and dissociation specialist Kathy Steele, MN, CS, to share professional observations from her 40+ years of experience working with clients, supervising therapists, and developing treatment guidelines for dissociative disorders and complex PTSD. While Kathy acknowledges that it's unsettling the first time a therapist encounters DID, she reaffirms that clinicians have the basic skills to begin treating those clients. "These are normal defenses that anybody would develop in the face of severe trauma. They just take on a life of their own," she says. "It's just like anything else. You need some practice in working with it." Transforming Trauma is grateful to Kathy for destigmatizing DID and empowering our community to approach dissociative clients with curiosity and understanding. To read the full show notes and discover more resources, visit https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/transformingtrauma SPACE: SPACE is an Inner Development Program of Support and Self-Discovery for Therapists on the Personal, Interpersonal, and Transpersonal Levels offered by the Complex Trauma Training Center. This experiential learning program offers an immersive group experience designed to cultivate space for self-care, community support, and deepening vitality in our professional role as therapists. Learn more about how to join. *** The Complex Trauma Training Center: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com View upcoming trainings: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/ *** The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD). CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care. We want to connect with you! Facebook @complextraumatrainingcenter Instagram @cttc_training LinkedIn YouTube

Today's clinicians have access to more advanced theories, protocols, and clinical models than at any other time in our profession's history. Yet, despite all that learning, something essential is often missing: our own humanity. Many therapists enter this field wanting to grow and heal alongside others. But most of the training focuses almost entirely on the client. The result? A profession suffering from high rates of burnout and too few opportunities for therapists to embark on journeys of self-discovery — until now. On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth is thrilled to welcome back Brad Kammer, Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) Director, SPACE Inner Development Program creator, NARM® Senior Trainer, author, and executive producer of this podcast. The pair introduces us to the Inside-Out Learning Series: Transforming Clinical Work from the Inside-Out, a virtual workshop series for professionals committed to deep personal and clinical transformation. Brad also shares his motivation for creating the Inside-Out series and what participants can expect from the workshops' immersive, experiential, and supportive environment. Reserve your spot in upcoming Inside-Out Learning Series workshops. To read the full show notes and discover more resources, visit https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/transformingtrauma SPACE: SPACE is an Inner Development Program of Support and Self-Discovery for Therapists on the Personal, Interpersonal, and Transpersonal Levels offered by the Complex Trauma Training Center. This experiential learning program offers an immersive group experience designed to cultivate space for self-care, community support, and deepening vitality in our professional role as therapists. Learn more about how to join. *** The Complex Trauma Training Center: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com View upcoming trainings: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/ *** The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD). CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart – and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care. We want to connect with you! Facebook @complextraumatrainingcenter Instagram @cttc_training LinkedIn YouTube

"I'm so concerned about that being a fracturing of our psyche, in which we only allow empowerment... Can we just have someone to stand with us in that space? So that the process, no matter what we choose, is a process of self connection." - Sarah Champie On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes Sarah Champie (LCSW), a licensed trauma therapist and NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®) practitioner who specializes in supporting individuals and families navigating hereditary cancer, genetic testing, and preventative surgery decisions. Sarah is also the creator and host of the podcast Walking the Genetic Line. Sarah draws on her own experience as a BRCA1 carrier and the childhood loss of her mother to ovarian cancer to illuminate what she calls the "portal moment" of receiving genetic testing results. Together, Emily Ruth and Sarah explore why empowerment-only narratives fall short, how NARM® survival styles shape our responses to medical urgency, and the critical gap in emotional care for those facing life-altering body decisions. Sarah makes a compelling case that healing in this space means holding agency and grief at the same time, honoring the complexity of identity shifts, projective memory, and the deep longing for connection that surfaces when mortality enters the room. We invite you to listen to the full episode and follow Transforming Trauma on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. *** SPACE: SPACE is an Inner Development Program of Support and Self-Discovery for Therapists on the Personal, Interpersonal, and Transpersonal Levels offered by the Complex Trauma Training Center. This experiential learning program offers an immersive group experience designed to cultivate space for self-care, community support, and deepening vitality in our professional role as therapists. Learn more about how to join. *** The Complex Trauma Training Center: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com View upcoming trainings: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/ *** The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD). CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC also offers the SPACE Inner Development Program for Therapists, providing a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care. *** We want to connect with you! Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube X ( Twitter )

"NARM® opened a whole new world to me... it's not just something you put on. NARM is, for me, a way of life. It's not just something you throw at somebody." - Elizabeth Remic Simonian On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes Elizabeth Remic Simonian, an integrative and somatic therapist based in Rotterdam, Somatic Experiencing practitioner, and trained jazz vocalist, for a deeply heartful conversation about how the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®) transformed not only her clinical work but her entire way of being in relationship with others. Elizabeth traces her journey from conservatory-trained musician to trauma therapist, sharing the pivotal moments that called her toward depth and healing. She reflects on how encountering NARM for the first time revealed something she had never experienced in years of therapy: being asked what she actually wanted. From there, Elizabeth explores the profound shifts that unfolded as she began tracking her own efforting, reclaiming authenticity, and understanding that leaving yourself out of the equation is its own form of disconnection. She also shares how bringing NARM's relational presence into her music teaching created a palpable shift in her students' openness and creative freedom, and how singing with more embodiment and less shame changed her relationship with her own voice. The conversation closes with a tender example from Elizabeth's clinical practice, illustrating what it looks like to meet a client's vulnerability with genuine humanity rather than professional distance. We invite you to listen to the full episode and follow Transforming Trauma on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. *** SPACE: SPACE is an Inner Development Program of Support and Self-Discovery for Therapists on the Personal, Interpersonal, and Transpersonal Levels offered by the Complex Trauma Training Center. This experiential learning program offers an immersive group experience designed to cultivate space for self-care, community support, and deepening vitality in our professional role as therapists. Learn more about how to join. *** The Complex Trauma Training Center: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com View upcoming trainings: https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/ *** The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD). CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC also offers the SPACE Inner Development Program for Therapists, providing a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care. *** We want to connect with you! Facebook https://www.facebook.com/complextraumatrainingcenter/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/complextraumatrainingcenter/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/complex-trauma-training-center/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ComplexTraumaTrainingCenter X https://x.com/CTTC_Training