Trauma therapy requires a careful, phased approach. When the brain has been operating in a prolonged survival state, direct trauma processing is often not possible. That is why we work in stages, first establishing a stable neurobiological foundation.

Neurobiological foundation of trauma therapy in trauma and dissociation

In my trauma therapy, we begin with how your neurobiology has adapted to overwhelming experiences. When the brain has functioned in survival mode for a long time, automatic stress responses remain active, even when the original threat has passed. This can show up as dissociation, intense or flattened emotions, restlessness, loss of control, or a sense of not being fully present.

From this state, trauma processing is often not possible. That is why we first focus on restoring a stable neurobiological foundation. This means your system learns again to orient, to recognize safety, and to distinguish between past and present. From there, enough capacity develops to allow for careful trauma processing without further dysregulation.

Finding Solid Ground (FSG)

Finding Solid Ground is a stabilization program developed by Ruth Lanius, Bethany Brand, Hugo Schielke, and Francesca Schiavone. It is aimed at strengthening presence and building a stable neurobiological foundation in trauma and dissociation. Within trauma therapy, FSG is used when the system has been operating in a prolonged survival state and trauma processing is not yet possible.

The program is grounded in neurobiological research on trauma. Its effectiveness has also been studied using neurological measures, showing changes in brain connectivity. FSG focuses on recognizing unconscious survival responses, increasing presence, and improving the ability to distinguish between past and present. Rather than working directly with emotional intensity, the focus is on developing capacity. By learning to ground and remain present in the current moment, a foundation is created from which trauma processing can later take place in a careful way.

FSG therefore forms the basis for the processing phase, in which methods such as Deep Brain Reorienting are applied.

Additional tools within trauma therapy

Alongside Finding Solid Ground, I use additional methods that support stabilization and awareness in trauma and dissociation. These include insights from polyvagal theory, sensorimotor psychotherapy, EFT (tapping), and targeted breathing techniques. Psychoeducation on neurobiology is also part of the process, helping you understand how automatic responses have developed and why certain patterns continue to repeat.

These tools are attuned to what your system needs at that moment and contribute to a stable foundation for further trauma processing.

When sufficient stability and presence have developed, space for trauma processing begins to emerge. As long as the system tends toward dissociation or automatic survival responses, processing is not possible. That is why we first build the capacity to remain present in the current moment, even when tension or emotional activation arises.

In the processing phase, we focus on the stress responses that have become embedded in the neurobiology during overwhelm. This is not done through analysis or retelling the story, but through direct attention to what is happening in the system at the moment tension arises. By working at a regulated pace with bodily sensations and early brain responses, the system is given the opportunity to complete unresolved stress responses.

Within this phase, I use methods such as Deep Brain Reorienting and system-wide EMDR, depending on what your system needs at that time.

Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)

In the processing phase, I primarily work with Deep Brain Reorienting. This method builds on the stabilization developed in the first phase and focuses on the early, automatic brain responses that arose at the moment of overwhelm. Before thoughts or words are formed, the midbrain registers a disruption in safety. When this response could not be completed at the time, it remains active in the neurobiology and may later show up as dissociation, re-experiencing, or sudden dysregulation.

Deep Brain Reorienting approaches this original stress response in a careful and regulated way. By staying present with what is happening in the system, without analysis or reinterpretation, the brain is given the opportunity to integrate unresolved survival responses. This allows for greater coherence between early survival processes and higher brain functions, making trauma processing possible without renewed overwhelm.

System-wide EMDR from a neurobiological perspective

Within my practice, EMDR is applied from an understanding of the neurobiology of trauma. Eye movements play a direct role in orientation and presence; they are closely linked to brain structures involved in detecting safety and threat.

In trauma, memories are often stored implicitly in bodily responses and automatic patterns. By combining eye movements with attention to bodily sensations and internal processes, the brain can form new connections between survival responses and the present moment. This form of EMDR is attuned to what your system can carry at that time and remains embedded within the broader neurobiological approach to trauma processing.