What if our impulse to help can sometimes get in the way of healing?

In this episode of Beyond Trauma, I talk with Chelsea Haverly (she/her), LCSW-C about what becomes possible when we move beyond the verbal story and begin listening more closely to the body.

Chelsea brings together Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic therapy, and craniosacral work to help us understand trauma as something that lives not only in our thoughts and memories, but also in movement, sensation, relationship, and the nervous system.

We talk about the ways the body communicates things that may never make it into the verbal story—and why some trauma needs movement, touch, and attunement in ways that traditional talk therapy may not address. Chelsea also shares how this kind of work can be adapted for virtual therapy, including what therapists can do when touch or movement feels painful, frightening, or impossible for a client.

We explore the Five Element Theory and how it can offer another lens for understanding where a nervous system becomes stuck. Chelsea shares the first thing she recommends when movement feels unsafe, as well as questions we can ask ourselves to discover what kind of movement might actually support our nervous system.

For therapists, we talk about the tendency to turn therapy into a list of interventions: something to fix, assign, measure, or accomplish. Chelsea explains why this can inadvertently replicate aspects of the trauma response and why she doesn't give traditional homework. Instead, she offers something different between sessions.

We also step outside the individual therapy paradigm to ask a larger question: What happens when we understand our struggles as shaped not only by our individual histories, but by relationships, families, communities, culture, and the systems we live within?

Chelsea shares her understanding of the therapeutic relationship as inherently reparative, including the importance of rupture and repair. We discuss how to work with clients who have big goals without getting pulled into urgency or fixing, and how therapists can shift from primarily cognitive approaches toward more embodied ways of working.

And because therapists and other helpers need care, too, Chelsea offers simple nervous-system practices for people who tend to lead with their hearts, along with ideas for making our practices, businesses, and professional environments more trauma-informed.

We also talk about what trauma-informed personal training means—and why the principles of trauma-informed care can extend far beyond the therapy room.

Learn more about trauma-informed body work.

Chelsea's Website/Instagram

This episode is sponsored by My Therapy Flow. Therapy Flow transforms therapy practices with HIPAA-compliant marketing services and a custom CRM that tracks and follows up with leads automatically. Mention Beyond Trauma when you book your call and receive 50% your first three months with the Therapy Flow CRM.

Beyond Trauma is hosted by Lara Land-Wittich, MHC. Lara is an integrative Mental Health Counselor specializing in trauma recovery, anxiety disorders, and life transitions. She works with adult individuals and couples in New York State.