In Whisperglen, there’s a river called the Wyr.
It carries forgotten things, emotional residue, memory threads that haven’t yet found language. The forest knows to treat it with care.
No one tries to control the river.
They meet it.
This is the same kind of care many dissociative clients need when emotions surge.
Emotional Regulation Isn’t Always the Goal
For many trauma survivors, especially those with dissociation, regulation is a complex task. It’s not just about calming down—it’s about navigating what feels dangerous to feel.
If a client’s internal system doesn’t trust emotion, or has never felt safe being seen in it, “regulation” may actually trigger protectors.
It might feel like being asked to perform calm instead of being met where they are.
Instead of grounding tools or emotional redirection, what many clients need in those moments is what the Glen models:
presence without pressure.
What That Looks Like in Session:
Soften your voice and body before intervening. Let your tone match the nervous system you hope to invite—not override.
Narrate, don’t direct. Try:
“I notice things feel intense right now… I’m still with you. We don’t have to fix it.”Normalize emotional waves.
“You don’t have to hold it together here. This space can hold it with you.”Make space, not demands. Ask, “Would it help to stay with the feeling a little longer together, or to pause and just be?”
Trust the rhythm. Like the Wyr, emotional presence flows best when not forced.
The river doesn’t need you to redirect it.
It needs you to sit beside it long enough for safety to return.
As a therapist, that’s what you offer: not the solution, but the space for regulation to become possible.
Not a fix. A witness.
You don’t need to fear the overwhelm.
You just need to stay.
Reflection Prompt:
When a client begins to dysregulate, do I instinctively try to bring them back—or can I stay present long enough to understand why they went there?