Instinctual Trauma Response® (ITR)

Full Recovery
From Any Type of Trauma

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The Instinctual Trauma Response® (ITR) is a holistic, evidence-supported approach to full trauma recovery that focuses on the roots of trauma rather than the symptoms. ITR is based in neuroscience and informed by parts psychology, art, narrative, and somatic therapies, ITR's protocol is the same for all types of trauma, even prenatal and preverbal experiences. Whether you choose to engage with ITR independently or with professional guidance, it empowers individuals to heal deeply,quickly, and effectively.

Developed by visionary art therapist Dr. Linda Gantt and her late husband, renowned psychiatrist Dr. Louis Tinnin, ITR has been used in hospitals and clinics for over 40 years. The practice-based evidence is clear: ITR not only provides rapid relief from traumatic stress symptoms but also sustains that relief for the long term, offering a path to enduring inner peace.

Peer Support or Clinical Training Available

The Instinctual Trauma Response® is for:

Those who know everyone is a "peer" that can be trauma-effective anywhere at anytime.
Those who view mental health is physical health and trauma as an injury to fully recover from.
Those eager to learn how to assist and/or guide others to fully recover from traumatic stress.
Those who prefer to resolve trauma first before considering a diagnosis.
Those who have tried other approaches with little success and are tired of just coping or managing symptoms.
Those looking for a simple, fast, holistic, and effective approach to complete trauma recovery.
Those who recognize that medications and other drugs are usually not sufficient for full recovery.
Those who believe in the power of encouragement, training, and self-leadership in their own recovery journey.
Those who want to help reduce the number of people with suicide ideation, anxiety and depression NOW.

Take a Quick Trauma Assessment

Find an ITR Professional to Assist You

Take an ITR Course (Free or Paid)

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We say, "Resolve the trauma first,
and then see what's left.”

Trauma symptoms very often mimic mental health disorders.

Many suffer silently, feeling they're "crazy" because nothing they've tried has worked. Many therapists are not trained to treat trauma symptoms, but instead focus on coping with them.

Drs. Tinnin and Gantt say, "There is no reason why a person should even suffer from a minimal symptom of trauma. It's easy to treat and it doesn't take long to do it,"

Instinctual Trauma Response® (ITR) recognizes trauma's potential consequences as being "stuck" in the ITR Components such as startle, fight/flight, freeze, altered consciousness, automatic obedience, or self-repair. Living with this toxic stress can be devastating, leaving many feeling hopeless and irreparably broken. Many treatment options can be confusing, slow, re-traumatizing, and yield minimal results.

ITR® addresses the root cause of trauma and resolves trauma symptoms allowing a person to break free from the chains of the past, to live in the present, and thrive in the future.

Everyone can be Trauma-Effective and Parts-Informed!

Watch the video "Demystifying Trauma" and Learn More!

Trusted by these organizations:

Who We Are

• • •

Help For Trauma and the ITR Training Institute are proud to be a part of the Mental Health Freedom Movement. We believe in accessibility to effective mental health for all. “Trauma is not a life sentence.” It can be resolved in a time-limited fashion.

About Us

Instinctual Trauma Response® Training

Be more than trauma-informed, be trauma-effective and parts-informed.

ITR® Certifications and CEs for mental health providers.
ITR® Training is available to anyone wanting to learn and help.

Learn More About ITR Courses

Testimonials

“The Instinctual Trauma Response model allows for the gentle and rapid processing of haunting traumatic memories in a matter of days, not months or years. Their sensitivity and compassion, along with their exceptionally astute understanding of trauma and the healing process, have produced a significant breakthrough in the field of trauma treatment. I applaud their work, and enthusiastically recommend ITR to all those who treat and support survivors of trauma."

- Glenn Schiraldi, Ph.D., LTC (USAR, Ret) Author of "The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook," "The Relience Workbook" and "The Adverse Childhood Experiences Recovery Workbook" and other books.

“Whether acute or sustained, the effects of trauma on the brain can lead not only to anguish for the client, but also to frustration for the clinician. These painful conditions, so often resistant to even the most sophisticated therapies, are now, thanks to the dedication of Drs. Tinnin and Gantt, able to be approached with a new and remarkably successful methodology. This is a model for responsible and effective care. I think it's the most amazing methodology to hit the trauma field, and it incorporates all of the current "hot" acronyms in a much more thoughtful and personalized way than any of them.”

- Judith A. Rubin, Ph.D., ATR-BC
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh

"I studied under Dr. Louis Tinnin, a towering figure in the field of trauma research and treatment who has been described (by Bessel van der kolk) as ‘the greatest trauma mind of the 20th Century.’ Dr. Tinnin turned Pierre Janet’s work of the 1880’s into a comprehensive treatment model for effectively treating trauma and dissociation. I was able to assist in some of the research that demonstrated the effectiveness of this treatment. Lou taught me two very important ingredients in successfully treating trauma: the value of narrative and a fearless approach of the client’s traumatic material."

- J. Eric Gentry Ph.D., "Forward Facing Trauma Therapy"

“The therapeutic implications of this concept are profound, and are addressed in detail, providing theory and application of techniques that embrace both cognitive and non-verbal somatic/behavioral elements.”

- Robert Scaer, MD, Author of The Body Bears the Burden, The Trauma Spectrum, and Eight Keys to Body-Brain Balance

More Testimonials