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Anyone who applies the expressive arts within the scope of trauma intervention now knows that trauma’s imprint is both psychological as well as somatic. Long after the trauma-inducing events are over, the body continues to respond as if the original threat is present. Dr. Janina Fisher’s mission has and continues to be bringing this understanding of trauma to professionals and clients through wide-reaching, clinically sound, and creative ways.
I have followed Janina’s work for many years, and in particular her collaboration with Pat Ogden on Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Recently, I was also fascinated to see how she incorporated expressive methods in her work with trauma survivors, including drawing at strategic junctures in the psychotherapeutic process. So I hope both new professionals and advanced practitioners will enjoy this filmed interview, particularly because Janina and I discuss some of the salient influences on the trauma field, including:
- Views on using drawing within the process of psychotherapy with clients
- Internal Family Systems and Mindfulness as key practices when working with trauma
- Contributions of Judith Herman [Trauma and Recovery] and Bessel van der Kolk [The Body Keeps the Score] to how we view and treat traumatized individuals
- Whether or not "somatic" and body-based approaches have found their place in the range of psychotherapy practices
And you will experience what a lovely individual Janina is, getting a privileged glimpse of her warmth, intelligence, and compassion for what is often difficult work. In Janina’s words: “These survivors have given me a window into the inner experience of the legacy of trauma, taught me what always to say and what never to say, helped to validate or disprove what the experts and theorists were claiming. It has been a privilege to learn with them and from them.”
Brief biography: Dr. Janina Fisher is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Instructor at the Trauma Center, an outpatient clinic and research center founded by Bessel van der Kolk. Known for her expertise as both a therapist and consultant, she is also past president of the New England Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation, an EMDR International Association Credit Provider, a faculty member of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, and a former Instructor, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Fisher has been an invited speaker at the Cape Cod Institute, Harvard Medical School Conference Series, the EMDR International Association Annual Conference, University of Wisconsin, University of Westminster in London, the Psychotraumatology Institute of Europe, and the Esalen Institute. Dr. Fisher lectures and teaches nationally and internationally on topics related to the integration of research and treatment and how to introduce these newer trauma treatment paradigms in traditional therapeutic approaches.
Fisher’s most recent publications: Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment (Pat Ogden and Janina Fisher). A new publication focusing on traumatic stress and the neurobiological aspects of stabilization by Dr. Fisher is in the works.
