Transforming Trauma: Episode 134

A vital tenet of the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) is that, no matter how withdrawn or isolated one becomes due to complex trauma, humans remain instinctively and spontaneously drawn towards connection, just as plants are drawn towards the sun. It’s easy, then, to trace a throughline from the organizing principles of NARM to the organic wisdom of the natural world. One clinician has taken that connection literally by embodying psychotherapy in the natural world. 

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, Emily Ruth is joined by Joseph McCaffrey, LPC, LMHC, an Arizona-based NARM therapist specializing in ecotherapy––the formal practice of incorporating nature-based experiences to facilitate healing. Joseph also offers workshops as well as preparation and integration therapy for those exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness through plant medicines, psychedelics, breathwork, and modern-day rites of passage. The pair explore Joseph’s process for applying NARM “in the wild” and his tips for identifying everyday opportunities to re-establish a personal connection to nature no matter where you live.

“Nature is the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, landscape, other features and products of earth as opposed to humans and human creatures,” says Joseph.  Although wilderness experiences played an essential role in Joseph’s early work, he often struggled to comprehend why eco-based therapies alone couldn’t “fix” clients with C-PTSD. “I thought all I needed to do was get people out on the land, have an experience, and everything would be okay,” he admits. NARM training filled in the gaps. “One of the things I’ve heard Dr. Heller [creator of NARM] say is that we are always in connection. If we’re not connected to our hearts and ourselves, how can we open up to a deeper connection with the consciousness of the planet?”  

 

“We are a part of [the earth], not separate from it,” Joseph shares. “But, I really believe that we’re in this state of psychological estrangement from nature—and our own wildness.”  This creates human suffering. In order to address these deep wounds of disconnection and estrangement, Joseph is excited to share about how to integrate NARM with earth-based experiences, which can be a vehicle for reconnection.

Transforming Trauma thanks Joseph for sharing his integrative trauma-informed approach with our community and introducing us to the growing field of ecotherapy.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Animas Valley Institute

Prescott College

Jon Young

Eligio Stephen Gallego

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Somatic Equine Therapy for Emotional Balance and Post-Traumatic Growth with Isabelle Shook

 

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Joseph McCaffrey holds an MS in Counseling with a specialization in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Prescott College and an MA in Educational Psychology from the University of Colorado, Denver. Joseph is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Arizona as well as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Washington and specializes in complex developmental trauma and ecotherapy. His approach is trauma-informed, influenced by Ecotherapy, spirituality, mindfulness, and somatic work, and grounded in The NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM).