Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS) – Healing Attachment Wounds through Ego State Therapy

What is DNMS?
DNMS, rooted in Ego State Therapy, works with younger, wounded parts of ourselves formed by unmet developmental needs—like emotional safety, validation, and attunement—during childhood. When these needs go unfulfilled, attachment wounds arise, causing distress that can persist into adulthood.

How It Works
The goal is to reconnect with these wounded parts using your “internal resource,” an ideal version of yourself that embodies wisdom, safety, and self-compassion. Sessions guide clients through identifying and addressing these wounds by nurturing the wounded neural networks with this resourceful self.

What to Expect in Therapy
Initially, we explore your family dynamics and establish both therapeutic goals and your internal resource. In subsequent sessions, we address triggers and practice meeting the underlying needs of wounded parts in real time. For clients, the shift from reactive behaviors to mindful responses helps restore emotional balance.

Who Can Benefit?
DNMS is particularly effective for individuals experiencing unresolved attachment wounds, including those related to unmet safety and emotional needs. It’s ideal for clients with complex trauma or relational challenges rooted in childhood.

Session Options and Structure
While standard sessions are 50 minutes, we also offer 3-hour intensive sessions for clients seeking faster progress through deeper, uninterrupted work. The number of sessions required varies based on individual needs.

Outcomes to Expect
Through DNMS, clients learn to recognize when a part of themselves is activated and respond by meeting the part’s needs compassionately. This fosters a greater sense of presence and alignment with the best version of themselves, reducing emotional reactivity over time.