When Fear of Harm Becomes the Enemy Within: Navigating Harm OCD and Intrusive Thoughts

Living with harm OCD and intrusive thoughts can feel profoundly isolating and punishing—but there is a path through. In this article, we explore the neuroscience behind intrusive harm thoughts, clarify what “harm OCD” really means, examine how the nervous system and trauma shape this experience, and offer concrete strategies curated by Embodied Wellness and Recovery for restoring safety, agency, and relational connection.

What Is Harm OCD?

Imagine this: You’re sitting quietly,  and suddenly the image of harming someone you love flashes into your mind. Or perhaps it’s self-harm: a vivid thought, or the fear of losing control, or an urge to hurt yourself that isn’t rooted in wanting to die but feels terrifying nonetheless. These are not signs of hidden aggression or unconscious wishes to act. They are symptoms of a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder called harm OCD, where unwanted intrusive thoughts of harm become the battleground.

Setting the Scene

It’s estimated that general intrusive thoughts, unwanted images, or ideas that pop into awareness, are experienced by most people (Berry & Laskey, 2012). But in harm OCD, the pattern becomes relentless, ego-dystonic (i.e., the thoughts clash with the person’s values), and the person spends vast mental energy trying to neutralize or avoid those thoughts (Wright, 2010).

In clinical terms, the research defines OCD as “intrusive thoughts, urges, or images that are repetitive and unwanted (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) in response to those obsessions” (Björgvinsson & Hart, 2007). In the case of harm OCD, the content of obsessions centers around harming oneself or others, losing control, or being responsible for catastrophic harm despite intact moral values (Weiss, Schwarz, & Endrass, 2024).

Why Those Thoughts Feel So Excruciating

1. Misinterpretation and Inflated Responsibility

People with harm OCD often interpret an intrusive thought as a sign that they could act on it, that the thought means something about their character or capacity. This is known as “thought-action fusion” (Siwiec, 2015). When that happens, the brain’s alarm circuits jump in.

2. Neural Circuitry Stuck in “What If” Loops

Brain imaging studies show that in OCD, there are abnormalities in frontal-striatal circuits and the “error-monitoring” systems of the brain, the neural loops that help us sense “this is wrong” or “shouldn’t happen” (Doron, Sar-El, Mikulincer, & Kyrios, 2011). Research on “thought-context decoupling” shows that obsessive thoughts become less tied to actual environment or intention and more free‐floating and alarming (De Haan, Rietveld, & Denys, 2015).

3. Nervous System Dysregulation and Trauma

From the approach of Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we view these intrusive thoughts not just as cognitive anomalies but as signals of a nervous system primed for threat, perhaps by trauma, high anxiety, or relational stress. When the sympathetic nervous system is overactivated, these intrusive thoughts are more likely. Science supports the notion that repetitive, harmful thinking (perseverative cognition) triggers physiological stress responses, which keep the brain locked in a state of threat vigilance (Brosschot, Gerin, & Thayer, 2006).

4. The Pain of Moral Dissonance

Because the person with harm OCD usually does not want to hurt anyone or themselves, the presence of these thoughts creates shame, paralysis, isolation, and consistent checking or mental rituals. The thoughts feel like they define you. The truth, and this requires gentle acknowledgment, is that the presence of the thought does not equate to intent. Research shows that intrusive harm thoughts are not generally associated with subsequent harmful behavior in OCD populations  (Berry & Laskey, 2012).

Signs You Might Be Navigating Harm OCD

      — Recurrent unwanted images or urges of harming yourself or someone else, accompanied by intense fear of those thoughts (Ferris, Mills, & Hanstock, 2012).

       — The content of the thought is opposite to your values (“I would never hurt someone,” yet the thought terrifies you).
      — Time-consuming mental checking, reassurance seeking, avoidance of people/situations, or internal neutralising rituals to prevent harm (Guzick, Schneider, & Storch, 2022).

      — Full awareness that the thought is unreasonable, but inability to stop it, and distress about what the thought means about you.
    — Exhaustion from mental looping, anxiety, shame, and often avoidance of relationships or intimacy due to fear of “what if I lose control?”

A Trauma-Informed, Nervous-System-Sensitive Approach

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we draw on trauma, somatic regulation, and attachment-informed frameworks to work with harm OCD in an integrated way.

1. Stabilise the nervous system

Begin with body-based regulation: practice slow diaphragmatic breathing, orient to your senses, engage in grounding exercises, take small movement breaks, and track the felt sense of your body. These create neurological safety, allowing the brain to shift out of threat mode.

2. Name the anatomy of the loop

Understanding that the intrusive thought is an obsession, not necessarily a choice or a marker of who you are, helps deactivate the shame loop. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are evidence‐based (Nielsen et al., 2025). 

For example:

     — Recognize: “Here is an intrusive harm thought.”
    — Pause: Notice the bodily sensations, the fear, the urge to neutralize.
     — Allow: Let the thought surface without immediate compulsion.
    — Respond: Choose a planned response rather than a reactive one.

3. Address Trauma and Attachment Wounds

Often, these harmful intrusive thoughts are not only about fear of acting but also fear of being abandoned, fear of being seen as unsafe, fear of not being loved if I’m “bad.” Working with relational templates and body memories helps shift the core identity from “I am dangerous” to “I live with a brain that misfires, and I’m learning to respond differently.”

4. Build Secure Relationships and Relational Safety

Intrusive harm thoughts can isolate you from intimacy and trust. As therapists skilled in nervous system repair and relational healing, we help clients reconnect with a safe attachment, learn to communicate about this hidden fear, and practice vulnerability with trusted others.

5. Create a Hierarchy of Exposure and Ritual Resistance

Actual change happens through doing: gradual exposure to triggers (for example, being near something you’ve avoided) while resisting the mental ritual or compulsion. Over time, the brain’s threat response recalibrates. New research is exploring novel treatments, but standard therapies remain foundational (Anguyo, Drasiku, Akia, & Naisanga, 2025).

Practical Strategies You Can Start Today

     — Interrupt the loop – When an intrusive harm thought arises, pause and label it: “Intrusive thought: fear of harm.” Bring curiosity rather than judgment.
    — Body check-in – Notice your breath rate, muscle tension, and posture. Breathe into your ribs and belly for two minutes.
    — Exposure in micro-steps – If avoidance is part of the pattern (e.g., not wanting to be around children, or avoiding knives, or avoiding driving), work with a clinician to build a gradual exposure plan.
    — Challenge meaning-making – Ask: “What is the evidence this thought means I will act? What is the evidence that it does not?” This disrupts the fusion of thought and action.
    — Relational sharing – When safe, share with a trusted person (therapist, coach, partner) that you are experiencing harmful thoughts. This removes secrecy, shame, and isolation.
   — Somatic maintenance – Daily 5-10 minutes of grounding, body awareness, orientation to safety.
    — Follow through with specialized therapy – Seek an OCD/trauma specialist who can guide ERP, trauma-informed care, and nervous system regulation.

Why Hope Remains

Your thoughts do not define you. Research shows that, despite how terrifying they feel, intrusive harm thoughts in OCD are not an indicator of imminent harm to others or yourself (Cochrane & Heaton, 2017). The neural circuitry can change. The body’s threat response can recalibrate. The relationship to the thoughts can shift from “I’m dangerous” to “I live in a brain that misinterprets threat and I am building what matters: connection, regulation, meaning.”

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we honor the courage it takes to bring these invisible battles into light. We specialise in trauma, nervous system repair, relationships, sexuality, and intimacy. We know that harm OCD is not just a brain circuit; it is part neurobiology, part wound, part relational story, and we are here to walk that path with you.

Reach out to schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation with our team of therapists, trauma specialists, somatic practitioners, or relationship experts, and start creating a sense of safety that feels right for you today.

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit

References

1) American Psychiatric Association. (2023). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): When unwanted thoughts or repetitive behaviors take over. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-when-unwanted-thoughts-or-repetitive-behaviors-take-over National Institute of Mental Health

2) Anguyo, M., Drasiku, H., Akia, M., & Naisanga, M. (2025). Advancements in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Novel Approaches for Diagnosis and Treatment. In Mental Health-Innovations in Therapy and Treatment. IntechOpen.

3) Berry, L. M., & Laskey, B. (2012). A review of obsessive intrusive thoughts in the general population. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 1(2), 125-132.

4) Björgvinsson, T., & Hart, J. O. H. N. (2007). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Handbook of assessment, conceptualization, and treatment, 1.

5) Brosschot, J. F., Gerin, W., & Thayer, J. F. (2006). The perseverative cognition hypothesis: A review of worry, prolonged stress-related physiological activation, and health. Journal of psychosomatic research, 60(2), 113-124.

6) Cochrane, T., & Heaton, K. (2017). Intrusive uncertainty in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Mind & Language, 32(2), 182-208.

7) De Haan, S., Rietveld, E., & Denys, D. (2015). Being free by losing control: what obsessive-compulsive disorder can tell us about free will.

8) Ferris, T. S., Mills, J. P., & Hanstock, T. L. (2012). Exposure and response prevention in the treatment of distressing and repugnant thoughts and images. Clinical Case Studies, 11(2), 140-151.

9) Guzick, A. G., Schneider, S. C., & Storch, E. A. (2022). Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. EA Storch, JS Abramowitz & D. McKay D. Complexities in Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 285-310.

10) Nielsen, S. K. K., Stuart, A. C., Winding, C., Øllgaard, M., Wolitzky-Taylor, K., Daniel, S. I., ... & Jørgensen, M. B. (2025). Group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy versus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/Exposure Response Prevention for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Block Randomized Controlled Trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 94(3), 135-146.

11) Siwiec, S. (2015). Developing interpretation training for modifying thought-action-fusion associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (Master's thesis, The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee).

12) Weiss, F., Schwarz, K., & Endrass, T. (2024). Exploring the relationship between context and obsessions in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms: a narrative review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1353962.

13) Wright, E. C. (2010). A cognitive dissonance approach to understanding and treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (Doctoral dissertation, George Mason University).

When the Body Remembers: Understanding the Link Between Trauma and Chronic Pain and How Somatic Therapy Heals from Within

Discover the neuroscience behind the connection between trauma and chronic pain. Learn how somatic therapy helps regulate the nervous system, release stored tension, and restore mind-body balance. Written by trauma and somatic therapy specialists at Embodied Wellness and Recovery.

The Hidden Connection Between Trauma and Chronic Pain

Have you ever wondered why your body continues to ache even when medical tests show nothing is wrong? Why do old injuries flare during times of stress, or why does tension seem to live in your neck, jaw, or stomach? For many people, chronic pain isn’t just a physical condition; it’s the body’s way of communicating unresolved emotional wounds.

Modern neuroscience and somatic psychology suggest that chronic pain and trauma are deeply intertwined. The body remembers what the mind tries to forget. When trauma is left unresolved, it doesn’t simply vanish; it embeds itself in the nervous system, shaping posture, muscle tension, and pain perception for years to come.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we specialize in helping clients understand and heal the relationship between trauma, chronic pain, and the nervous system. Through somatic therapy, EMDR, and other body-based approaches, clients learn to listen to their bodies’ wisdom and release the stored patterns that perpetuate suffering.

How Trauma Gets Trapped in the Body

When you experience something overwhelming, such as emotional neglect, abuse, an accident, or even ongoing stress, your body activates the fight, flight, or freeze response. This survival mechanism floods the system with adrenaline and cortisol, preparing you to act or escape. But if the threat feels inescapable, the nervous system can become stuck in that state of hyperarousal or shutdown.

In other words, the trauma response doesn’t end when the event ends. The body remains in a constant state of hypervigilance or collapse. This dysregulation may manifest as:

     — Chronic muscle tension or migraines
    — Stomach pain or gastrointestinal issues
    — Lower back pain without a structural cause
    — Autoimmune flare-ups
    — Fatigue or insomnia

Research shows that trauma changes the way the brain processes pain. The amygdala (fear center) stays overactive, while the prefrontal cortex (rational brain) becomes less able to regulate emotions or sensations. The insula, which helps you perceive internal body states, can also misfire, amplifying the sensation of pain even when there’s no new injury.

The result? A body that keeps sounding the alarm long after the danger has passed.

Chronic Pain as a Nervous System Issue

Many people with chronic pain feel dismissed by traditional medical approaches. They’re told their pain is “all in their head” or simply handed medication to manage symptoms. But chronic pain isn’t imagined; it’s embodied. It’s the language of a nervous system that never got the message that it’s safe again.

From a polyvagal perspective, chronic pain reflects a dysregulated autonomic nervous system. The vagus nerve, which connects the brain to major organs, plays a crucial role in regulating stress responses. When trauma disrupts this system, the body may oscillate between sympathetic overactivation (anxiety, tension, inflammation) and dorsal vagal shutdown (numbness, exhaustion, despair).

Somatic therapy aims to restore flexibility to this system, helping the body return to a state of regulation where healing can occur.

What Is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy is a body-centered approach that helps clients reconnect with their physical sensations, emotions, and inner resources. Instead of focusing solely on cognitive processing, it emphasizes the felt experience, or how emotions manifest in the body.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, somatic therapy sessions may include:

     — Body awareness and tracking: Learning to notice tension, breath, and internal cues without judgment.
    — Grounding and orienting: Reconnecting with safety through present-moment awareness.
    — Pendulation: Gently moving between states of discomfort and calm to expand the nervous system’s capacity for regulation.
    — Resourcing: Identifying internal and external supports to stabilize the body during emotional processing.
    — Gentle movement or breathwork: Releasing stored activation and restoring flow through the musculature and fascia.

Over time, this work helps the body discharge old survival energy, completing what the trauma response was unable to finish. Clients often notice not only emotional relief but also reduced physical pain, improved sleep, and greater resilience.

The Neuroscience of Somatic Healing

Neuroscience confirms what many somatic therapists have long observed: the body and brain heal together. When clients tune into physical sensations with curiosity and compassion, the insula and anterior cingulate cortex, regions involved in emotional regulation and interoception, become more active.

This mindful awareness fosters neuroplasticity, enabling the formation of new neural pathways. The prefrontal cortex can once again modulate the amygdala, calming hyperarousal and reducing pain perception. Over time, the nervous system learns that it is safe to relax.

Somatic therapy doesn’t simply manage pain; it helps the body relearn safety, releasing the chronic muscle contractions and inflammatory responses that maintain suffering.

Why Trauma-Informed Care Matters

For individuals with trauma histories, traditional physical treatments like massage or chiropractic care can sometimes feel invasive or even re-traumatizing if the body isn’t ready. Somatic therapy offers a gentle, non-invasive alternative that honors the client’s pace.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, our trauma-informed approach ensures that every session centers on consent, empowerment, and safety. Clients are guided to develop internal resources before exploring distressing sensations or memories. This helps prevent overwhelm while supporting integration at both the emotional and physiological levels.

A Holistic Approach to Chronic Pain

Healing chronic pain isn’t just about addressing the physical body; it’s about repairing the relationship between body, mind, and emotion. That’s why we integrate EMDR, mindfulness, and relational therapy into somatic work.

This integrative model supports:

     — Nervous system repair through Somatic Experiencing and EMDR resourcing
    — Emotional release through safe exploration of stored sensations
    — Relationship repair by addressing attachment wounds that perpetuate tension and fear
    — Sexual and emotional intimacy restoration, when pain or trauma has disrupted connection

When trauma healing and body awareness come together, clients rediscover a sense of ease, vitality, and wholeness.

Asking the Right Questions

If you’re struggling with chronic pain, it can help to pause and ask yourself:

      — When did my pain first begin? Was it around a time of loss, conflict, or emotional stress?
      — Do I notice my symptoms worsen when I feel anxious or triggered?
      — Have I spent more time treating the symptoms of my pain than exploring its emotional roots?

Sometimes, the body holds answers that words cannot reach.

Hope Through Somatic Awareness

Chronic pain can make life feel small, restricting movement, joy, and connection. But within your body lies the map to healing. Through somatic therapy, you can learn to listen to what your body is communicating rather than trying to silence it.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we guide clients through a process of reconnection and regulation, helping them feel safe in their bodies again. As the nervous system stabilizes, both pain and emotional distress tend to soften. The goal isn’t just the absence of pain; it’s the presence of vitality, agency, and inner peace.

Pain as a Messenger

Chronic pain is more than a medical condition; it’s often a messenger of unhealed experience. Somatic therapy offers a compassionate and scientifically grounded path toward understanding those messages and transforming them into wisdom.

Your body isn’t betraying you; it’s asking to be heard. And with the right guidance, it can finally exhale.

Contact us to schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation with our team of somatic practitioners, trauma specialists, and relationship experts. Start your journey toward embodied connection and freedom from pain today.

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr. ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit

References

Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books.

Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.

When Trauma Isn’t Seen: How Emotional Neglect and Invalidating Environments Shape the Mind and Body

Discover how emotional neglect and invalidating environments deepen trauma, impacting self-worth, shame, and internalized silence. Discover how neuroscience and somatic therapy offer pathways to repair and recovery, guided by expert professionals at Embodied Wellness and Recovery.

What Happens When Trauma Isn’t Witnessed?

Have you ever shared your pain only to be told you were “too sensitive” or that what happened “wasn’t a big deal”? Have you ever felt the sting of being dismissed by family, culture, or institutions when you most needed empathy? For many survivors, trauma is not only what happened but also the profound absence of an empathetic witness.

Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing, explains that trauma is not the event itself but the imprint left when no one helps us process the overwhelming experience. Without validation, the nervous system becomes stuck in a state of survival mode. Emotional neglect and invalidation make it nearly impossible for the brain and body to integrate what happened, leaving people carrying invisible wounds.

The Hidden Cost of Invalidation

Emotional Neglect in Families

In families where emotions are dismissed or minimized, children learn early that their feelings do not matter. A child who cries out in distress but receives indifference internalizes the belief that their inner world is shameful or unimportant. Over time, this erodes trust in oneself and in others.

Cultural and Institutional Blindness

Cultural norms can also invalidate trauma. Communities may discourage speaking about abuse to protect family reputation. Institutions may silence survivors through bureaucracy or disbelief. When those in authority gaslight or minimize lived experience, survivors internalize silence, carrying the burden of unacknowledged pain.

Neuroscience: How Invalidation Deepens Trauma

The brain is wired to seek safety through connection. When we encounter a threat, the amygdala triggers the fight-or-flight response. Normally, co-regulation from a trusted other helps calm the nervous system, allowing the prefrontal cortex to integrate the experience.

When empathy is absent, this regulation does not occur. Research indicates that invalidation impairs the brain’s ability to transition from a state of survival (Siegel, 2020). The result is chronic hypervigilance, emotional numbing, or both. The body stores the unfinished survival energy, leading to symptoms such as muscle tension, digestive issues, insomnia, and difficulties with intimacy.

The Effects on Self-Worth and Identity

Shame as an Inherited Emotion

When a child repeatedly hears “stop crying” or “that didn’t happen,” shame becomes encoded in the nervous system. Shame is the emotion that tells us we are unworthy of love and connection. Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp identified shame as a powerful social emotion that can literally shut down exploratory behavior, keeping us small and silent.

Internalized Silence

Survivors of invalidation often silence themselves before anyone else has the chance to. They censor their feelings, avoid vulnerability, and even doubt their memories. This internalized silence creates barriers in adult relationships, where intimacy requires openness and trust.

How Trauma Ripples Through Relationships and Intimacy

Unseen trauma does not stay isolated. It shapes the nervous system in ways that directly affect relationships, sexuality, and intimacy. Partners may misinterpret withdrawal as a lack of love or mistake hyperarousal for anger rather than fear. Without understanding the root cause, couples often find themselves trapped in cycles of conflict or distance.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we recognize how the nervous system carries these imprints into the most intimate aspects of life. Emotional neglect can lead to intimacy avoidance, difficulty setting boundaries, or even compulsive behaviors meant to soothe the pain of invisibility.

Key Questions Survivors Often Ask Themselves

     — Why do I doubt my own memories when others tell me I am exaggerating?
    — Why do I feel unworthy even when I achieve success?
    — Why do I shut down when my partner tries to get close?
     — Why does my body react with anxiety long after the danger has passed?

These questions reveal the lasting impact of an unwitnessed trauma. They are not signs of weakness, but rather signals from the nervous system indicating that the body needs to heal.

Pathways to Repair: Mind, Brain, and Body

Somatic Therapy

Somatic practices help survivors renegotiate trauma stored in the body. By gently releasing held survival energy, the nervous system can return to a state of regulation.

EMDR and Trauma-Focused Approaches

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helps reprocess memories so they no longer trigger overwhelming reactions. Combined with a compassionate therapeutic relationship, EMDR enables both the brain and body to integrate past experiences.

Rebuilding Relational Safety

Healing also requires new experiences of being seen and validated. In therapy, this means creating a secure space where every feeling is welcomed and accepted. Over time, survivors internalize the presence of an empathetic witness, shifting self-worth from shame to acceptance.

The Role of Culture and Community in Witnessing

Healing trauma is not only personal but also collective. Communities and institutions can play a powerful role in becoming empathetic witnesses. Culturally informed therapy, public acknowledgment of injustices, and supportive social networks all contribute to repair.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we integrate individual healing with relational and community perspectives. We understand that trauma often begins in relationships, and it must also be healed in relationships.

A Message of Hope

When trauma has gone unseen, the nervous system adapts to protect you, not to punish you. The shame, silence, and self-doubt are survival strategies that once kept you safe. With the proper therapeutic support, the nervous system can learn a new language of safety, connection, and vitality.

Embodied Wellness and Recovery specializes in helping individuals and couples repair the wounds of emotional neglect and invalidation. Through somatic therapy, EMDR, and neuroscience-informed care, we support the mind, brain, and body in working together toward resilience and authentic connection.

Rebuilding Lives

Trauma that is unseen does not simply disappear. It lingers in the nervous system, shaping self-worth and limiting the ability to connect. Yet when empathy, validation, and safe witnessing are introduced into the process, new patterns can emerge.

No matter how long trauma has been minimized, the brain and body can still change. With compassionate, evidence-based care, survivors can reclaim their voices and rebuild their lives on a foundation of dignity and connection.

Contact us today to schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation with our team of somatic practitioners, trauma specialists, and relationship experts, and start your journey toward embodied connection with yourself and others.

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr. ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit

References

1) Levine, P. (2010). In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books.

2) Panksepp, J. (1998). Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions. New York: Oxford University Press.

3) Siegel, D. J. (2020). The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.