
PsychRounds: The Psychiatry Podcast Trauma and The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics with Dr. Bruce Perry
Sep 10, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Dr. Bruce Perry, a leading child psychiatrist and co-author of acclaimed books on trauma, shares insights about his Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. He breaks down the complexities of trauma, contrasting 'big T' and 'little T' experiences, and emphasizes how these affect child development. Dr. Perry also delves into the significance of emotional regulation, the impact of modern lifestyles on community connections, and the therapeutic power of rhythm. His holistic approach underscores the necessity of tailored treatments for recovery.
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Resilience As A Depletable Resource
- Resilience is like a 'health bar' that can be filled by predictable, controllable stressors and drained by uncontrollable or repeated stress.
- Once capacity is low, even small stressors can tip someone into dysfunction.
Two Opposite Protective Stress Responses
- The stress toolkit includes both fight/flight arousal and dissociative shutdown tailored to escape or survive threats.
- Repeated extreme activation sensitizes systems, producing hyperarousal or chronic dissociation depending on context.
Dissociation In Animal Attack Survivors
- Perry recounts survivors of animal attacks who dissociated and didn't feel pain until later.
- This dissociation preserved blood and reduced pain to increase survival probability.




