NARM Training Institute

In this webinar, NARM Master Therapist, Sherri Sharkins and Dr. Laurence Heller, discuss the concept of running away from the self as a way of avoiding emotions, needs, and vulnerable states. They emphasize that this is an active, ongoing process and speak to the importance of agency interventions in addressing it. Various forms of running away are explored, including addiction, dissociation, overwork, and compulsive behaviors. They explain that running away from the self ultimately does not work because it keeps individuals disconnected and builds upon itself, causing further suffering. This pattern is linked to survival styles, where individuals avoid specific aspects of themselves that threatened the attachment relationship in childhood.

The webinar delves into the price of running away from the self, which includes sacrificing authentic connection and experiencing self-created suffering. Clinical indicators of this behavior are discussed, such as anxiety, depression, dissociation, self-hatred, and judgmental tendencies. They also touch on the energetic cost of running away, which drains energy and can contribute to chronic fatigue and other syndromes. The discussion expands to the role of agency, the concept of "futuristic memory," and various clinical interventions to support clients in reconnecting with themselves.