Attachment, Bonding and EMDR after NICU trauma with Clinical Psychologist Dr. Mara Tesler Stein | S3E55
Today’s guest, Dr. Mara Tesler Stein, is a fellow Clinical Psychologist with experience of being in NICU – so we were so keen to open up this discussion with her. We chat all about using EMDR for perinatal trauma, why there are so many common themes that come up for parents who have spent time in the neonatal unit with their babies, and most importantly – reassurance that things you might find are labelled as “bonding problems” actually aren’t, and why bonding with your NICU baby does look different to what you’d expect (and that’s okay).
Mara is the founder and director of The Touchstone Institute for Psychotherapy and Training where she offers both EMDR trainings and workshops for perinatal specialists. She is a staunch advocate for trauma-focused care and her personal story of having twins at 30 weeks (following 6 weeks in hospital with the doctors trying to stop her preterm labour) means she really has the lived experience as well as the professional training. She’s also the co-author of two books aimed at NICU parents with one on the way aimed at professionals.
In this episode, we’re chatting about:
- Mara’s NICU experience and her research and work in EMDR
- Identity and trauma themes that often arise in NICU parents
- Why some NICU parents are led to believe they have problems with bonding with their child – and what’s actually happening instead
- Overcoming guilt, grief and trauma as a NICU parent
Take what you need!
[01:38] Mara’s NICU story
[06:11] Mara’s professional experience
[08:08] Common themes from NICU parents
[13:10] Attachment, bonding and identity development
[23:12] Grief of missing “the golden hour”
[26:27] Skin-to-skin
[30:31] Parental guilt and grief
[38:10] Healing from trauma
[42:16] You are enough
[43:34] Connect with Mara
A huge thank you to Emma at Cover My Bubble for supporting our podcast - you can find out more about all that Cover My Bubble offer at www.covermybubble.co.uk
Connect with Miracle Moon:
Connect with our guest, Dr. Mara:
Parenting Your Premature Baby and Child: The Emotional Journey
Intensive Parenting: Surviving the Emotional Journey through the NICU