What’s a Panic Attack Look Like from a Parts Perspective?

Here’s an excellent example of PTSD in Iron Man 3 where the central character Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. aka the Iron Man, a Marvel comic superhero brought to the silver screen) is triggered by anxiety.

This is where the wrong part is out on deck – the Vaded state is back in the experience, instead of his adult self who is in a cafe talking to friend James Rodes aka War Machine played by Don Cheadle.

Resource Therapy ( RT) theory offers therapists and their clients the Empowerment Protocol for resolving emotional overwhelm and unwanted behaviours associated with PTSD.

We also see the Retro Avoiding state take the helm to get him out of there – classic avoidance. Tony runs to his Iron Man suit where an analytical part, a Retro gains control of the situation by applying intellectual defenses and escapes the Vaded in Fear’s emotional overwhelm.

It’s common for these parts to be involved in PTSD presentations for ourselves and our clients.

Resource Therapists learn specialist methods to support the Vaded in Fear State – the panicked part to feel empowered and facilitate emotional processing to resolution by applying neuroscience. Our brains are plastic and can be rewired. This part can emotionally and physiologically know it’s safe and survived this traumatic event. In the case of Tony, he is not held captive by his kidnappers, he is safe and with his friend in New York.

We then work with unwarranted coping responses, termed Retro States. These parts perform behavior designed to suppress emotions and maintain a person’s control. We see this in PTSD diagnosis – Hypervigilance, Avoidance, Reactivity, Panic, and Flashbacks to name a few symptoms.

RT’s guiding principle is that our parts develop to help and serve a need. As we mature emotionally the ways our needs are met may no longer be required to the same degree as a little person stamping their feet to get what they want. Think of a three-year-old having a tantrum, cute when you are that age. Possibly scary when you are an adult yelling at an upset.

Super excited to be presenting Resource Therapy for PTSD presentations in association with a premier Europe training organization Ego State Therapy Switzerland next weekend online translated English and German.

Curious to learn how parts therapy can be added to your toolkit with protocols designed specifically to treat PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

Start with our introduction course the two-day online Foundation Program. Fun, interactive and practical you will learn how to assist clients in putting the past behind them and fully living in their present. What freedom. Jump to the Fees and Dates page here.

Parts in Panic Iron Man 3

Introducing the Somatic Bridge for Trauma Therapists and Specialists.

Bridging to the Initial Sensitising Event is crucial to emotional processing the root cause of clients anxiety. The somatic bridge offers a new way for Resource Therapists to access the Part who is in need.

Bridging is a essential element of emotional processing necessary for treating Post traumatic stress, underlying anxieties. These Parts are the ones when at the helm bring with them overwhelm, anxiety and feelings low self worth.

Healing the origins of our pain, allows us to live our highest potential.

Integral to healing is finding the root cause of the issue. Resource Therapists apply Action step 2 the Vivify Specific protocol. RT Action step 2 gets the part we need to be working with out in the conscious. Out on deck for us to facilitate access to the original sensitizing event.

I have recorded a 3 part series of a new option for bridging. Bridging is an essential part of the Resource Therapy Vaded State Protocol. These Resource Therapy Actions are at the heart of healing PTSD, anxiety, phobias, poor self esteem for clients and ourselves. When we reach the Initial Sensitizing Event (I.S.E), we have floated back to the original trauma. As we know when we knock out the roots of the tree it dies out.

What this means for trauma if we get to the earliest event, empower and heal the Part with the issue it is resolved. This Resource part no longer needs to act out or has overwhelming emotions from this past. It is returned to a state of health and well-being.

We know this from the research and work of Bessel Van De Kolk; Pat Ogden, Janina Fisher and Peter Levine.

Please watch all three parts for the complete picture. I need your help as I haven’t quite decided on a name yet.

What would you call this bridging technique – the Somatic bridge, the Sensorimotor bridge or other bridge?

Thanks for again for completing the whole three videos and please share to others who would be interested in Resource Therapy and it’s uses in treating trauma effectively.

Here is the YouTube Channel of Resource Therapy please subscribe.

The Vaded State Series now up on YouTube!

Learn the fundamentals of Resource Therapy training in Sydney and the world

Vaded states are an integral to Resource Therapy treatment. I see in my trainings a lot of us struggle with the new terminology – Vaded States, Retro States and Introjects. Here I want to help you become familiar with the ideas and ways of working to benefit your clients.

This series will offer useful ways to help you remember the Resource Therapy Actions. More to come soon.


The Vaded State Series brought to you by Philipa Thornton Resource Therapy Institute Australia

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