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).

Suppressed Emotions and the Nervous System: Why Ignoring Anger Leads to Shutdown, Dissociation, and Burnout

Suppressing emotions like anger wires the nervous system into chronic dysregulation, fueling shutdown, freeze, dissociation, and burnout. Learn how trauma-informed, neuroscience-based therapy can help restore balance, vitality, and connection.

When Suppression Becomes Survival

Have you ever found yourself swallowing your anger, pushing down frustration, or pretending everything is fine, even when your body feels like it is on fire inside? Suppression may feel like the safest choice in the moment, especially if expressing anger was dangerous in your past. But what happens when your nervous system is forced to carry unresolved tension year after year?

Many people struggling with chronic fatigue, burnout, or dissociation are actually experiencing the long-term consequences of suppressing emotions. Neuroscience shows us that the nervous system is wired for fight or flight when it senses a threat. When fight is blocked or suppressed, the body may default into freeze or shutdown, creating cycles of dysregulation that impact health, relationships, and overall well-being.

How Suppression Wires the Nervous System Into Dysregulation

Suppression and the Fight Response

The human nervous system is designed to detect threat and mobilize energy for protection. Anger is one of the body’s primary cues that a boundary has been crossed or safety is compromised. In evolutionary terms, anger fuels the fight response, giving us the strength to stand up, push back, or protect ourselves.

When anger is chronically suppressed, the nervous system is left with unresolved activation. Instead of releasing energy through healthy expression, the body holds on to it, creating internal tension. Over time, this trapped energy forces the nervous system into patterns of hyperarousal (chronic stress, irritability, anxiety) or hypoarousal (shutdown, numbness, dissociation).

From Fight to Freeze and Shutdown

If the fight response cannot be acted upon, the nervous system often shifts into the freeze state. This survival mode immobilizes the body, numbs sensations, and creates a sense of disconnection. While useful in short-term danger, chronic freeze can leave people feeling stuck, fatigued, and detached from themselves and others.

When suppression continues, the nervous system may default into shutdown, a dorsal vagal state described in Polyvagal Theory. Shutdown is characterized by exhaustion, burnout, depression, and emotional numbness. People in this state often feel as though they are moving through life in survival mode, disconnected from vitality, creativity, and intimacy.

Dissociation as a Survival Strategy

Dissociation is another protective strategy that develops when the nervous system is overwhelmed. By mentally or emotionally “leaving” the body, dissociation reduces awareness of pain or threat. While adaptive in moments of trauma, chronic dissociation can limit access to emotions, bodily signals, and authentic connection with others.

The Cost of Suppression: How it Shows Up in Daily Life

Suppressed anger and chronic nervous system dysregulation do not remain hidden beneath the surface. They often manifest in daily life in painful and confusing ways:

     — Burnout at work despite constant effort and overachievement
    — Emotional numbness in relationships, leading to disconnection and intimacy struggles
    — Physical symptoms such as tension, headaches, gut issues, or chronic fatigue
     — Cycles of anxiety and depression that feel unrelenting
    — Difficulty setting boundaries or speaking up for personal needs

Do you recognize yourself in these patterns? Have you ever wondered why, no matter how much you rest or distract yourself, your exhaustion and disconnection linger?

What Neuroscience Teaches Us About Suppression

Modern neuroscience offers powerful insight into why suppression has such profound effects.

      — Polyvagal Theory (Porges, 2011): The vagus nerve regulates our survival responses. Suppression often blocks the social engagement system, leaving us oscillating between fight/flight hyperarousal and freeze/shutdown.
      — Somatic Memory (van der Kolk, 2014): The body stores unexpressed emotional energy. Suppression prevents integration, reinforcing chronic tension patterns.
    — Neuroplasticity (Siegel, 2012): While suppression wires the brain into survival loops, therapeutic experiences can rewire pathways toward regulation, resilience, and connection.

These findings confirm that suppressed anger is not just a “mental” issue. It is a physiological state of survival that impacts the entire body-mind system.

Moving From Suppression to Expression: Pathways to Nervous System Repair

1. Building Awareness of Body Cues

The first step in unwinding suppression is learning to notice the subtle ways the body communicates. Tightness in the jaw, shallow breathing, or a racing heart may signal unacknowledged anger or fear. Mindfulness and somatic therapy help clients reconnect with these signals in a safe, nonjudgmental way.

2. Practicing Safe Emotional Expression

Therapy provides a contained environment where suppressed anger can be acknowledged without judgment. Through techniques such as EMDR, somatic experiencing, or expressive writing, clients gradually learn that expressing anger does not necessarily equate to danger. Over time, this builds trust in the body’s natural rhythms of activation and release.

3. Reconnecting With Values and Boundaries

Suppressed anger often arises when boundaries are ignored or violated. By clarifying values and learning boundary-setting skills, clients develop healthier ways to honor their needs and protect their energy. This reduces the need for suppression and creates opportunities for authentic connection.

4. Cultivating Nervous System Regulation

Techniques such as grounding exercises, paced breathing, and gentle movement directly support nervous system balance. Neuroscience-informed therapy strengthens the parasympathetic system, allowing the body to shift from chronic threat response into states of safety and connection.

5. Restoring Intimacy and Connection

Suppression isolates us from ourselves and from others. As nervous system regulation improves, clients often find they are more present, more open, and more capable of intimacy. Whether in friendships, family, or romantic partnerships, authentic emotional presence becomes possible again.

Offering Hope Through Trauma-Informed Care

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we specialize in helping individuals navigate the complex relationship between trauma, suppression, and nervous system dysregulation. Our approach integrates neuroscience, somatic therapies, and attachment-focused modalities to support emotional repair and relational healing.

If you are struggling with chronic burnout, dissociation, or shutdown, know that your nervous system is not broken. It has been protecting you the best way it knows how. With the right support, it can also learn how to regulate, reconnect, and restore vitality.

The Path From Suppression to Vitality

Suppressing emotions, particularly anger, may once have been a necessary survival strategy. But when suppression becomes chronic, the cost to the nervous system is immense: burnout, freeze, dissociation, and disconnection from self and others.

By turning toward suppressed emotions with compassion, learning safe ways to express them, and rewiring the nervous system through trauma-informed therapy, it is possible to move from survival into genuine thriving.

Your body is wired not just for fight, but for connection, resilience, and joy.

Contact us today to schedule a free 20-minute consultation with our team of somatic practitioners, trauma specialists,  and relationship experts and begin 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

Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Siegel, D. J. (2012). The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. New York: Viking.

What Dissociation Feels Like: Understanding Trauma’s Silent Shield and How Therapy Reconnects You to Life

Feeling numb, detached, or like you're watching your life from the outside? Dissociation is a common trauma response that can leave you feeling disconnected from yourself and others. Discover what dissociation feels like, how it impacts relationships and identity, and how trauma-informed therapy can help you reclaim your life. Learn more from Embodied Wellness and Recovery, experts in trauma, nervous system regulation, relationships, and intimacy.

What Dissociation Feels Like: Understanding Trauma’s Silent Shield and How Therapy Reconnects You to Life

Do you ever feel like you’re going through the motions of life but not really living it? Like you’re watching yourself from outside your body, or that you’ve checked out emotionally, but can’t figure out why?

This experience has a name: dissociation. And it’s more common than you might think, especially for people who have experienced trauma.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we work with individuals who feel chronically disconnected, not just from others, but from themselves. For many, this inner distance is a survival response to early or ongoing emotional pain. And while it may have once protected you, it can now leave you feeling numb, isolated, and unseen.

This article explores what dissociation feels like, why it happens, and how therapy, especially trauma-informed and nervous-system-based approaches, can gently guide you back into connection with your body, emotions, and authentic self.

What Is Dissociation?

Dissociation is the nervous system’s way of protecting you from overwhelm. When fight or flight isn’t possible, the body may default to a freeze or “shut down” state, disengaging from intense physical or emotional experiences in order to survive.

In short, dissociation is not a sign of weakness. It’s protection.

Neuroscience shows that when trauma floods the system with too much stimulus or emotion, the brain's prefrontal cortex (responsible for conscious awareness and decision-making) can go offline. The dorsal vagal branch of the parasympathetic nervous system takes over, triggering a state of collapse, numbness, or disconnection (Porges, 2011).

What Dissociation Feels Like

Dissociation is often subtle and hard to recognize, especially if you’ve lived with it for years. It may show up as:

     — Feeling emotionally numb or “dead inside”
     — Zoning out or spacing out frequently
    — Forgetting parts of your day (time loss)
     — Watching yourself from outside your body
    — Struggling to recall important memories
    — Feeling disconnected from your body or sensations
     — Going through life in a dreamlike haze
     — Feeling like you’re not really here

It’s not unusual for people who dissociate to say things like:

     — “It’s like I’m watching my life instead of living it.”
    — “I know I should feel something, but I don’t.”
    — “I keep people at a distance without meaning to.”
    — “Sometimes I feel like I’m not real.”

These experiences can be deeply distressing, especially when compounded by the loneliness of feeling misunderstood, even by those closest to you.

The Invisible Toll: Dissociation and Relationships

Dissociation doesn’t just disconnect you from your emotions; it can also disconnect you from others. Relationships require presence, vulnerability, and the capacity to feel. But when your nervous system is in protective mode, these capacities often feel unsafe or inaccessible.

If you're single and living with dissociation, dating and intimacy can feel especially challenging. You may wonder:

     — Why can’t I connect the way others do?
    — Why do I feel more alone around people than when I’m by myself?
    — Is something wrong with me?

In a world built around coupledom, where social norms assume you should want to be close to someone, living with trauma-related detachment can feel alienating. It’s not that you don’t long for connection; it’s that part of you learned it wasn’t safe.

This internal split between longing and fear, hope and numbness, is at the heart of many trauma survivors’ experiences.

Why Therapy Helps: A Neuroscience-Informed Path to Reconnection

Therapy offers a safe, attuned relationship where all parts of you, numb, scared, disconnected, can begin to feel seen and integrated.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we specialize in trauma therapy that incorporates the latest findings from neuroscience, attachment theory, and somatic modalities like:

     — EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
    — Somatic Experiencing®
    — Parts Work / Internal Family Systems (IFS-informed)
    — Polyvagal-informed therapy
    — Mindfulness and body-based practices

Here’s how therapy supports healing dissociation:

1. Regulates the Nervous System

Through breathwork, grounding, and body awareness, therapy helps shift the nervous system out of dorsal vagal collapse into a more regulated, connected state. This process allows you to feel again, gently and safely.

2. Creates a Safe Relationship for Reconnection

The therapeutic alliance models secure attachment, something many trauma survivors never experienced. This relationship helps rewire the brain’s expectations around connection, safety, and trust.

3. Bridges the Mind-Body Divide

Somatic therapy helps you notice sensations, emotions, and impulses in the body, often the very things dissociation tries to block. By building tolerance for these experiences, you gradually reclaim your full self.

4. Strengthens Your Sense of Self

Over time, therapy helps you develop a more coherent narrative about who you are and where you’ve been. This self-understanding reduces shame, increases agency, and supports more grounded relationships with others.

You Are Not Broken; Your System Adapted

If you’ve spent years feeling checked out, unfeeling, or “different” from others, it’s easy to internalize the belief that you’re damaged or unworthy of love. But the truth is this:

Your body did what it had to do to survive. Dissociation was your nervous system’s way of protecting you when connection felt too dangerous.

What’s different now is that you no longer have to do it alone.

Therapy doesn’t force you to feel everything at once. It offers a slow, respectful unwinding of protective patterns, honoring your body’s pace, your story, and your capacity to choose.

A New Kind of Presence Is Possible

The goal isn’t to be “on” all the time; it’s to come home to yourself.

That might look like:

     — Noticing the warmth of your coffee mug in your hands
    — Feeling your feet on the floor during a hard conversation
    — Recognizing when you’re zoning out and gently coming back
    — Crying for the first time in years
    — Laughing in a way that feels spontaneous, not performative
    — Feeling in your life, not outside of it

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we believe that reconnecting with yourself is one of the most powerful things you can do. Especially in a world that promotes constant connection, coupling, and performance, choosing presence is a radical and tender act of self-ownership.

Whether you’re navigating trauma, attachment wounds, or the quiet ache of emotional disconnection, you don’t have to stay stuck in the fog. There is a way forward, back to your body, your story, your wholeness.

Contact us today to schedule a free 20-minute consultation and begin your journey toward embodied connection, clarity, and confidence.

📞 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:

Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company.

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. (2015). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.