The Couples Therapist Couch 286: Working with Trauma & Couples Therapy with Dr. Janina Fisher
Apr 6, 2026
Dr. Janina Fisher, clinical psychologist and trauma expert behind TIST and a workbook for survivors, discusses trauma's evolution and why childhood danger shapes adult responses. She explores parts-based work, how noticing separate parts soothes intense feelings, using psychoeducation to build agency, and applying these tools to interrupt blame and support healing in relationships.
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Trauma Is About Being Frightened Not Just Hurt
- Trauma is defined by its frightening, unprocessable quality, not just distressing events.
- Janina Fisher emphasizes that children often couldn't process or tell others about abuse, making those experiences traumatic rather than merely painful.
Annie's Morning Dread From Childhood Danger
- Fisher describes 'Annie' who woke daily with dread linked to childhood danger rather than current life.
- Annie couldn't hold a job or leave home because morning dread was a feeling memory tied to her abusive mother.
The Environment Of Fear Shapes Trauma Responses
- Trauma effects come from living in an environment that was never safe rather than only from discrete events.
- Fisher notes a child may not be abused constantly yet still lives in perpetual uncertainty and shame because danger is unpredictable.
