Abstract
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects millions worldwide, yet many evidence-based treatments remain difficult for clients to tolerate, leading to dropout rates as high as 50%. The Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM)® offers a gentler, body-based alternative to traditional PTSD interventions. This banded dissertation has three products that explore TRM’s theoretical foundation, clinical application, and develops a structured treatment protocol to support implementation and research. Product One is a theoretical analysis that deconstructs the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) and the Community Resiliency Model (CRM), reimagining them as a singular modality for trauma intervention. The paper synthesizes existing CRM research to support TRM’s preliminary efficacy and outlines a research agenda to assess its effectiveness. Product Two presents a qualitative study of psychotherapists who have been using TRM. Interviews of these psychotherapists highlight TRM’s effectiveness and adaptability allowing for its use alongside other models like EMDR. Product Three advances TRM’s clinical accessibility through a five-phase clinical protocol, providing structured guidance for psychotherapists and a standardized framework for researchers to measure its effects. Together, these products establish TRM’s conceptual foundation, explores its clinical potential, and present a framework for further study that lays the groundwork for its validation as a trauma-focused treatment model.