People Need People: The Magic of RRP Group Therapy

"People need people- for initial and continued survival, for socialization, for the pursuit of satisfaction. No one- not the dying, not the outcast, not the mighty- transcends the need for human contact."

Irvin D. Yalom, The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy

Healing in groups is a popular model for support and recovery from a variety of challenging life experiences. Yet for many of us, the idea of sharing with others or in front of others feels too vulnerable. One on one therapy with a reliable, trained therapist is a wonderful path towards greater health and well-being. At the same time, groups offer a recovery experience that is different than what can happen in one on one relationships.

RRP Therapy:

RRP is a model of healing from childhood trauma through connecting to and reparenting our wounded inner child. It emphasizes the experiential aspect of healing, which is more than just knowing and understanding the roots of our trauma. If there is no re-experiencing of the trauma in a way that is different and reparative, there is no healing, no ability to move forward and live without the shackles of trauma, fear and suffering. Activating our inner adult to parent our inner child brings long-awaited relief from the trauma and strengthens our ability to live lives of joy, satisfaction and intimacy.

RRP therapy can be done one on one with a trained therapist. The benefits are many because the model creates opportunity to deepen our experience of our childhood trauma and the healing that can follow through working with an informed and compassionate RRP therapist.

Yet the real power of the RRP model of childhood trauma recovery lies in its group model. As Patrick Teahan says: "RRP is really a group model".

Why is this? Why does the power of RRP recovery and healing happen especially in a group?

What is the magic of the RRP group?

I've included below some of the 10 reasons...

The Magic of RRP Groups:

1. Not being alone in our struggle.

Feeling alone and disconnected from others is a common experience for survivors of childhood trauma. So much of what exacerbates the early trauma is the lack of support, understanding and being seen by a caregiver. As children we adapt to this reality and learn to live with it. We are convinced we will have to just make it through life on our own. Joining an RRP group can be the first and (at least for a while) the only experience of beginning to connect to others and what support and intimacy can feel like.

2. Being with people who "get it".

Survivors of childhood trauma often feel so different to the people we know and spend time with. We know (or at least assume) they haven't experienced the world as we have and feel shame and fear around what they would think of us if they knew. If we do share some of our past experiences, they may respond as if we are exaggerating or tell us we need to just move on and stop moping about the past. We may find ourselves over-explaining or trying to make light of our trauma in order to feel "normal" and fit in.

3. Building a safe environment.

Having grown up in an unsafe and unprotected environment survivors of childhood trauma often struggle with being hyper-vigilant for signs that we cannot trust others and/or mistrust cues from others that convey trust. In an RRP group there is a safe and supportive environment where we can learn to build and trust accurate barometers of safely and trust with other people.

4. Practice relationship and intimacy skills.

It is one thing to talk "about" making changes in our interactions with others and another to have a "live lab" where relationship skills can be applied in real time. It is very painful to try out new, authentic and intimate ways of relating to others, just to feel they reject our efforts. RRP groups provide a safe and trusting environment where making efforts to relate differently can be supported and celebrated.

5. Corrective Family Experience.

RRP groups recreate the experience of being part of a family, which triggers much of what we felt in our family of origin. Because of this, the repair and recovery from childhood trauma is more accessible and powerful.

RRP groups also validate the dysfunction we grew up in.

The need to "normalize" or justify the dysfunction as children creates a protective shield against seeing the behavior for what it was. Having that seen in a group creates powerful validation and support in the process of recovery.

This list is "to be continued"...