Transforming the Experience-Based Brain (TEB)
Supporting healing for those who experienced Developmental Trauma
Transforming the Experience-Based Brain (TEB) is a "Trauma Informed" modality that looks at developmental trauma through an integrated lens. This lens includes working with primitive reflexes, learning the language of early trauma, working with physiological regulation, understanding the neuro-sequential development of the brain, working with survival parts, understanding attachment in the somatic relationship, and more. Transforming the Experience-Based Brain (TEB) reflects the current understandings of developmental trauma and the neurobiology of attachment and relationships and relies on studies such as the Adverse Childhood Experience Study. This study shows the importance of intervention in someone's life who was exposed to developmental trauma. Intervention can prevent a lifetime of imbalance.
Trauma Informed Care is about addressing the impact of developmental trauma with an understanding that early/developmental trauma upsets the entire development of the person. Their lives become focused on survival where the need to learn and develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, and cognitively become overridden by the need to survive. We support change through a set protocol that speaks to the non-verbal part of the client who directly experienced the developmental trauma. This set protocol strengthens the non-verbal relationship through exploring inherited trauma, conception trauma, utero trauma, birth trauma, and postnatal trauma.
"When we have early ruptures in our development, it can and will affect later development. It will seem that some parts of development went along perfectly and some parts seem to still struggle. Because we are focusing our work together on the nonverbal period of your life, often times there won't be stories that can be told out loud but we know that the body never forgets and holds all experiences in the smallest of cells and tissue. Our goal is to connect, through right brain to right brain connection to create enough safety in your nervous system and body to heal the missing pieces. We will work together like a jigsaw puzzle, finding and replacing and repairing as we work together to create healing in your life."
- Stephen Terrell, developer of Transforming the Experience-Based Brain (TEB)
The TEB modality incorporates presence, regulation and relationship to repair these ruptures. This creates the opportunity to redesign those earlier platforms. TEB creates a safe haven where the client can begin to experience a sense of trust between themselves and the therapist. Even though these changes may be subtle, they hold powerful consequences for our clients. John Bowlby's work showed us the importance of the 'secure base' while growing and healing. This relationship supports the client's transitioning from insecure attachment to secure attachment. Therapists use TEB in their clinical work to promote resilience and regulation in their clients in order to help them gain the necessary capacity to move past their nonverbal trauma history into a place of healthy relationship. Transforming the Experience-Based Brain uses Transforming Touch® to activate change. Transforming Touch® is taught during the classroom process.
Stephen Terrell is a leading expert in the field of developmental trauma and adoption and is recognized around the world for his work in developmental trauma and healing. Terrell has performed more than 25,000 individual Transforming Touch® sessions and has taught thousands of students from around the world in the art of Transforming Touch® as it relates to healing developmental trauma. Terrell combines all of his training experiences to see the client holistically (mind, body, psychologically, and spiritually).
​For treating developmental trauma, he questioned if talk therapy was more effective or if a physiological approach was better. Out of these two polar opposites came a third way. In this third way, he realized that healing would happen with support of the client's nervous system along with an understanding of homeostasis. Through this neurobiological lens, he saw how clients were doing the best job they could do with their unique circumstances. This was their normal.
Transforming Touch® and Transforming Presence® both came out of the Third Way. This opened up space for the client to bring their narrative to the table and for us to build a trusting relationship through a nonverbal and verbal dyadic relationship. Allowing the client to "be where they are," in life or the moment, without judgment while bringing a sense of support, attunement, and openness to the healing space and therapeutic container can help the body begin to heal and allow a new normal to emerge. As the client begins to move toward a new normal, they begin to feel more awareness and balance within their physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual self. The relationship formed with Transforming Touch® between the clinician and client supports and facilitates this movement and growth. This reparative work is seen as essential for the client to heal from early relational ruptures.
