Confronting Our Stories: Recentering Narrative Work In Trauma Therapy

Riva does trauma therapy that helps break old cycles, get clarity, and helps clients find courage and start really showing up for themselves.

Despite a wealth of evidence pointing to the benefits of therapy clients directly confronting their traumatic memory content, contemporary therapists are often taught to fear this practice, frequently hearing that clients will be "retraumatized" or otherwise harmed by telling their own stories.

Backed by research, clinical experience, and a tradition of oral storytelling as old as the human species, Riva makes the case for centering storytelling as a crucial component of healing trauma, as well as providing some tips for eliciting and witnessing client's traumatic memory narratives in a safe, healing and transformative way.

Therapists who already incorporate this kind of work into their practice will leave with a revitalized sense of its significance as well as new ideas for deepening their work with clients; therapists who are curious but apprehensive about working with clients' traumatic memories will leave with greater courage for diving into the work and a stronger sense of direction for where to start.