Healing Complex Trauma Through Music with Nick Larson of Proxima Parada

"Music definitely opened up my heart and I started to actually feel things. The next thing I know, I'm using music to make sense of my experience." - Nick Larson

Sarah talks with musician Nick Larson, California-based songwriter, musician, and member of the band Próxima Parada. He uses his experiences growing up in dysfunction and working through trauma to create uplifting music that promotes healing.

They discuss the stigmas that surround therapy, familial and intergenerational trauma, vulnerability, reconnecting to our hearts, and the role music can play in the process of healing trauma. Nick hopes listeners feel encouraged "to give themselves permission to use music, poetry, or whatever outlet that may be, to use their suffering and trauma as fuel for creating art, beauty, and something meaningful for them."

So much of what Nick shares aligns with NARM, and Sarah reflects that what Nick describes is a process of using self-shaming and self-rejection to shut oneself down in order to survive. These adaptive survival strategies, though life-saving as children, become obstacles as we move into adulthood. Nick reports that going to therapy, and learning a new way of relating to himself, was a game-changer. Through therapy and through his music, Nick has learned how to reconnect to himself.

Through the pandemic, while touring and playing shows has not been possible, Nick has focused on what is available to him, and has taken the time to write songs -- more than thirty of them. Proxima Parada self-recorded a new album, "Second Brother" which will be available in August 2021.

To listen to Nick's music, you can find Proxima Parada on Spotify and YouTube and at http://www.proximaparadamusic.com

About Nick:

Nick Larson is a songwriter, musician, and member of the band Próxima Parada who uses his experiences growing up in dysfunction and working with trauma to create uplifting music that promotes healing. Born and raised in California, Nick currently lives in San Luis Obispo.

To read the full show notes and discover more resources visit http://www.narmtraining.com/podcast

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View upcoming Level 2 NARM Therapist Trainings: http://www.narmtraining.com/Level2Online

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The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources.

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