Laura K Kerr

“Joy is a better teacher than pain, always.”  –Wisdom of the Psyche, Ginette Paris

Laura Kerr, PhD, IMFT | Trauma’s Labyrinth

Laura K Kerr

“Being requires accepting oneself, staying within oneself and not doing to prove oneself. It is a discipline that is accorded no applause from the outside world; it questions production for production’s sake. Politically and economically it has little value, but its simple message has wisdom: If I can accept myself as I am, and if [...]

Laura Kerr, PhD, IMFT | Trauma’s Labyrinth

Laura K Kerr

Few people pass from birth to death without intimate knowledge of trauma’s capacity to alter the landscape of the psyche. So many experiences are traumatizing: war, rape, death, car accidents, hurricanes, earthquakes, bullying, scapegoating, incest, family violence, racism, homophobia—and this, a cursory list at best. Even if you are fortunate enough to dodge trauma, its [...]

Laura Kerr, PhD, IMFT | Trauma’s Labyrinth

Laura K Kerr

“Men may now be the possessors of the world’s flimsiest identity structure, the products of a prolonged tinkering with ontogenesis — by Paleolithic standards, childish adults. Because of this arrested development, modern society continues to work, for it requires dependence. But the private cost is massive therapy, escapism, intoxicants, narcotics, fits of destruction and rage, [...]

Laura Kerr, PhD, IMFT | Trauma’s Labyrinth

Laura K Kerr

A monkey’s transformed body weds the human mind. Mind is a monkey– this, the truth profound.   –Wu Cheng’en, Xiyouji Journey to the West

Laura Kerr, PhD, IMFT | Trauma’s Labyrinth

Laura K Kerr

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained. –Marie Curie

Laura Kerr, PhD, IMFT | Trauma’s Labyrinth

Laura K Kerr

In the West, our introduction to power and dominance comes early. Starting with our first moves towards independence, we learn our desire for freedom can be squelched by someone bigger, more powerful, even Goddess-like. Mom. She is the order of things, purveyor of “No”,  steadfast in her exertion of Mother‘s nature. She is the Queen [...]

Laura Kerr, PhD, IMFT | Trauma’s Labyrinth

Laura K Kerr

“In the heaven of the great god Indra is said to be a vast and shimmering net, finer than a spider’s web, stretching to the outermost reaches of space. Strung at each intersection of its diaphanous threads is a reflecting jewel. Since the net is infinite in extent, the jewels are infinite in number. In [...]

Laura Kerr, PhD, IMFT | Trauma’s Labyrinth

Laura K Kerr

Before I became a psychotherapist, I often wrote, lectured, and blogged about damaging aspects of psychiatry. I am more hopeful now–not about psychiatry improving, but about truly helpful mental healthcare for people who might otherwise be labeled “chronically” mentally ill and forever take medications to tranquillize their internal demons. Since I began combining Sensorimotor Psychotherapy [...]

Laura Kerr, PhD, IMFT | Trauma’s Labyrinth

Laura K Kerr

Alexithymia. Now that’s quite the word. Derived from the Ancient Greek, it means “without words for emotions,” and identifies difficulties with recognizing and naming feelings. Since emotions are central for understanding oneself and others, not being able to discern what you feel can cause distress, agitation, and anxiety — along with rocky, unsatisfying relationships. (Honestly, [...]

Laura Kerr, PhD, IMFT | Trauma’s Labyrinth