In trauma release work, the depressed man forms a relationship with both of the wounded, immature parts of him—the vulnerable child and the harsh child. He redresses the empathic reversal that rests at the core of his depression, identifying with the injured child and disidentifying with the aggressor. In a safe, supportive environment, he reexperiences the pain and the often extraordinary shame of traumatic interactions. Finally, he “gives back”—releases—the carried shame and carried feelings he internalized in such moments, extruding them, unburdening himself of them, often permanently.
