A Powerful Conversation with Dr. Christina Bethell & Dr. Laurence Heller
In this deeply inspiring conversation, NARM® creator Dr. Laurence Heller and Dr. Christina Bethell, researcher and public health expert, explore one of the most urgent topics of our time:
How can we transform systems by addressing developmental trauma at the root?
Hosted by Sarah Buino, this episode of Transforming Trauma offers a rare blend of clinical insight, public policy wisdom, and human compassion – calling for a cultural and systemic shift toward healing.
Dr. Christina Bethell: A Voice for Connection, Policy, and Healing
Dr. Bethell is a leading force in the trauma-informed movement.
As a professor at Johns Hopkins University and the Bloomberg School of Public Health, she has long advocated for the integration of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships into health systems, education, and public policy.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) and co-authored the influential policy brief:
“A Trauma-Informed Agenda for the First 100 Days of the Biden-Harris Administration.”
Her work focuses on:
- Family resilience and parent-child connection
- The social and relational roots of health and illness
- Scaling trauma-informed care for professionals on a national level
As she states in the episode:
“The systems are aching for support on how to ground the concepts of healing and developmental trauma – and to actually do something about it.”
Dr. Laurence Heller: Healing Developmental Trauma at the Root
Dr. Heller brings in his profound perspective as the developer of the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) – a cutting-edge modality for healing complex and developmental trauma. Together, he and Dr. Bethell discuss how unresolved trauma shapes not only individual lives, but entire institutions and generations.
Both experts agree:
The NARM Training Institute is helping to define what trauma-informed care could truly mean – across healthcare, education, mental health, and beyond.
A Call to Trauma-Informed Leadership
One of the most compelling messages of this episode comes at the very end:
Dr. Bethell issues a call to arms to all NARM-trained and trauma-informed professionals.
She urges them to:
- Step into leadership
- Bring healing-centered values into systems that are stuck in survival
- Help institutions make space for presence, regulation, and relationship
This is not just about technique.
It’s about re-humanizing our social systems – from the inside out.
Why This Episode Matters
This episode speaks to professionals, parents, educators, and policy makers alike.
It’s a reminder that trauma is not just a clinical issue –
It’s a public health issue, a social issue, a generational issue.
And healing is not just possible – it’s already happening.
But only if we make space for it.
Listen now to this inspiring conversation:
“The Need for Trauma-Informed Care”
with Dr. Christina Bethell & Dr. Laurence Heller
