The Aliveness Project: Conversations on Connection

NARM Training Institute
  • 4.6 (5)
  • MENTAL HEALTH

The Aliveness Project: Conversations on Connection is a podcast from the NARM® Training Institute exploring the many dimensions of human connection. Hosted by members of the NARM community, including NARM founder Dr. Laurence Heller, this show invites guests from both inside and outside the world of NARM to share stories and insights from their unique areas of expertise. Each episode centers around a conversation—sometimes clinical, sometimes personal, often both—that looks at what it means to be in connection: with ourselves, with one another, and with the world around us. Whether you're a therapist, a helping professional, or someone curious about the deeper layers of human experience, these episodes are designed to spark reflection, offer practical insights, and open up new ways of thinking about connection and the healing process. At its heart, this podcast is about connection, re-connection, and aliveness—our birthright as humans. We’re grateful you’re here.    

Episodes

  1. What Happens When We're Connected: Ralf Marzen & Maya Vaughan on Healing Through Relationships

    12/17/2025

    What Happens When We're Connected: Ralf Marzen & Maya Vaughan on Healing Through Relationships

    What happens when we’re securely connected? In this episode of The Aliveness Project: Conversations on Connection, host Iris McAlpin Garrett sits down with two longtime friends and NARM practitioners—Ralf Marzen and Maya Vaughan—to explore why connection is central to healing, and what gets in the way. Drawing from both clinical practice and lived experience, Ralf and Maya reflect on the deep human longing for connection, the survival strategies that pull us away from ourselves and others, and how the therapeutic relationship can become a powerful space for reconnection. Together they explore themes around embodiment, authenticity, rupture and repair, shame as a strategy of disconnection, and the role of agency in healing developmental trauma. This wide-ranging conversation also touches on the realities of modern relationships: why conflict is essential for intimacy, how misattunements can actually deepen trust, and why young people today may need new pathways toward connection in an increasingly digital world. With warmth, humor, and candor, Ralf and Maya offer a grounded and hopeful look at what becomes possible when we return to ourselves—and each other. 🎧 The Aliveness Project: Conversations on Connection is created and produced by the NARM Training Institute. 🎬 Post-production, editing, and audio mixing/mastering by Tim Skipper (IG: @timmyskip). About Maya: Maya Vaughan is a relationship coach and a NARM therapist. She is also the Director of the Trauma Training Institute UK where she collaborates with Ralf Marzen, who is the lead NARM trainer for NARM trainings in the UK.   Maya integrates NARM and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy to support emotional safety, self-awareness, and authentic connection in her work with individuals and couples. Maya is also an Associate Member of the British Emotionally Focused Therapy Centre, the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, and the Complementary Medical Association. Drawing on her professional expertise and her own relational healing journey, Maya brings compassion, clarity, and depth to her work. She lives in north London with her husband of 20 years and her three daughters. You can find Maya on her website at mayavaughan.com or on social media… LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-vaughan About Ralf: Ralf Marzen is a psychologist, trauma therapist, and seminar leader with 25 years of experience working with individuals and groups. He is a NARM teacher and currently teaches NARM trainings in the US, Spain, Germany, the UK and Turkey. Beyond his trauma therapy practice, Ralf serves as the director of the StillPoint Centre for WellBeing in London and the Mudita School of Thai Yoga Massage. Drawing on both his extensive professional training and a lifelong passion for the journey of healing and awakening, Ralf brings sensitivity, compassion, and clarity to his work. Collaborating with Maya, Ralf is the lead trainer for NARM professional courses offered by the Trauma Training Institute, UK. You can find Ralf on his website at https://www.embodied-trauma-healing.com/. You can find both Ralf and Maya at the Trauma Training Institute UK at traumatraininginstitute.co.uk. Special Thanks To the NARM Training Institute team—Lindsey Smith, Olga Piontkowski, Emily Scott, and Tue Kjær—for invaluable production support, and to Tim Skipper for his outstanding post-production, editing, and creative work.

    1h 26m

  2. 10/01/2025

    Healing Beyond Medicine: Dr. Lissa Rankin on Trauma, Spirituality, and Healing

    Content Warning: This episode mentions the existence of both suicidal ideation and sex. Please use your discretion when deciding whether or not to watch/listen. What does real healing require? In this episode of The Aliveness Project: Conversations on Connection, host Iris McAlpin Garrett sits down with physician, researcher, and bestselling author Dr. Lissa Rankin and NARM founder Dr. Laurence Heller to explore the intersection of spirituality and healing from the effects of developmental trauma. Drawing on her experience as both a physician and an IFS educator, Lissa shares her story of leaving a successful career in OB-GYN medicine after facing profound moral injury, eventually leading her to study with pioneers in mind-body-spirit medicine. Together with Larry, she unpacks the complexities of spiritual bypassing, the allure of bliss-seeking, and the danger of premature transcendence. The conversation explores the nuanced intersections of medicine, psychotherapy, and spirituality—asking an important question: How do we know when we're healed, or when we may be trying to convince ourselves that our healing work is done? 🎧 The Aliveness Project: Conversations on Connection is created and produced by the NARM Training Institute. 🎬 Post-production, editing, and audio mixing/mastering by Tim Skipper (IG: @timmyskip). About Lissa: Lissa Rankin, MD, is an OB/GYN physician, author of seven books, founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute and the non-profit Heal At Last, and an encaustic artist who researches radical remission, trauma-informed medicine, and spiritual healing. She teaches memoir writing for therapeutic purposes, in addition to being an educator of Internal Family Systems (IFS). Lissa is currently co-writing her eighth book with Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Rediger about the link between relational trauma and medical illness, focusing on how healthy boundaries and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy can help reverse diseases related to nervous system dysregulation caused by traumatizing relationships. She thrives on daily hikes in nature, dancing, singing, writing, DJ’ing music whenever she can, playing with her dog Gaia, and healthy gourmet cooking. You can find Lissa on her website at https://lissarankin.com/ or on social media… IG: @LissaRankin FB: facebook.com/lissarankin/ Youtube: youtube.com/user/LissaRankin  About Larry: Laurence Heller, PhD is the creator of the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®), founder of the NARM Training Institute, international trainer, and co-author of Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image and the Capacity for Relationship, now published in fifteen different languages. Dr. Heller has a PhD in clinical psychology and has conducted NARM trainings and case consultations for thousands of therapists throughout the United States and Europe. His new book Healing Shame and Guilt is set to be published in May 2026. You can find Larry and the NARM Training Institute at https://narmtraining.com/, at https://drlaurenceheller.com/ or on social media... LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/narm-training-institute FB: https://www.facebook.com/NARMTraining Special Thanks To the NARM Training Institute team—Lindsey Smith, Olga Piontkowski, Emily Scott, and Tue Kjær—for invaluable production support, and to Tim Skipper for his outstanding post-production, editing, and creative work.

    1h 31m

  3. 06/04/2025

    Surviving Narcissism: Dr. Nadine Macaluso on Trauma Bonds and Healing

    In this inaugural episode of The Aliveness Project: Conversations on Connection, we’re joined by Dr. Nadine Macaluso—therapist, author, and trauma bond expert—and Dr. Laurence Heller, the creator of the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®). Together, they sit down with NARM Master Therapist and podcast host Iris McAlpin Garrett for a candid and layered conversation about narcissism, trauma bonds, and the role of early relational trauma in shaping both sides of these painful dynamics. Drawing from personal and professional experience, Nadine shares powerful reflections on how trauma bonds form and why they can be so difficult to break. Larry offers insights from a NARM perspective, exploring how the Trust Survival Style often underlies these dynamics and how early disconnection impacts a person’s ability to trust themselves and others. Together, the conversation brings a deeper level of understanding to the complexities of narcissistic relationships and developmental trauma. Whether you're a clinician, a helping professional, or someone navigating the aftermath of a trauma bond, this episode invites reflection, curiosity, and hope for meaningful reconnection—with yourself and with others. About Nadine: Dr. Nadine Macaluso (Dr. Nae) is a therapist, writer, and industry expert in narcissistic abuse, trauma bonds, and complex PTSD. At 22, she married Jordan Belfort—the infamous “Wolf of Wall Street”—believing love could save him. After years in a trauma bond, she left at 30, beginning a journey of deep self-reflection and healing. This led her to pursue a PhD in counseling and somatic psychology, launching a career dedicated to helping others break free from abusive relationships. Through her private practice, Dr. Nae has supported countless women navigating toxic dynamics, drawing from both professional expertise and personal experience. She is the author of Run Like Hell: A Therapist’s Guide to Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds. A mother of five (plus two dogs), a cancer survivor, and a devoted advocate for survivors, Dr. Nae continues to educate and empower those impacted by relational trauma. You can find Dr. Nae on her website at https://drnae.com/ or on social media… Instagram: @therealdrnadine TikTok: @drnaelmft Facebook: @drnaelmft Youtube: @TheRealDrNadine About Larry: Dr. Laurence Heller is the creator of the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), founder of the NARM Training Institute, international trainer, and co-author of Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image and the Capacity for Relationship, now published in fifteen different languages. Dr. Heller has a PhD in clinical psychology and has conducted NARM trainings and case consultations for thousands of therapists throughout the United States and Europe. His new book on the NARM perspective on shame is set to be published in March 2026. You can find Larry and the NARM Training Institute at https://narmtraining.com/, at https://drlaurenceheller.com/, or on social media... LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/narm-training-institute Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NARMTraining Special thanks to the NARM Training Institute team—Lindsey Smith, Olga Piontkowski, Emily Scott, and Tue Kjær—for their invaluable production support.

    1h 7m
  • 3 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

The Aliveness Project: Conversations on Connection is a podcast from the NARM® Training Institute exploring the many dimensions of human connection. Hosted by members of the NARM community, including NARM founder Dr. Laurence Heller, this show invites guests from both inside and outside the world of NARM to share stories and insights from their unique areas of expertise. Each episode centers around a conversation—sometimes clinical, sometimes personal, often both—that looks at what it means to be in connection: with ourselves, with one another, and with the world around us. Whether you're a therapist, a helping professional, or someone curious about the deeper layers of human experience, these episodes are designed to spark reflection, offer practical insights, and open up new ways of thinking about connection and the healing process. At its heart, this podcast is about connection, re-connection, and aliveness—our birthright as humans. We’re grateful you’re here.    

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