Developmental needs meeting strategy

Domain VI · Brief, integrative, trauma, hypnosis & coaching · Shirley Jean Schmidt · 2000 · San Antonio, Texas

What it is

The Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS) is an ego state therapy for adults whose childhood needs went unmet. That includes trauma wounds (verbal, physical or sexual abuse) and attachment wounds (rejection, neglect, enmeshment, invalidation). Schmidt developed it in San Antonio, Texas, from…

Format

• Move on when: the client accepts the parts concept, the Resources (or Provisional Resources) feel real, and the client is stable enough for in-session work. The study readiness criteria are listed under 4.1.
• have the Resources reassure them, correct misunderstandings and supply missing information;

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• intellectual ratings. Ask for felt truth.
• confusing protection with aggression or rage. Aim for calm, firm and effective.
• relying on external figures only. The DNMS principle is that Resources are parts of self.
• a high rating means the work is unfinished, or that another introject is involved (see Section 5).
• an anchor that turns into a talisman used only to avoid distress, rather than a way back to the Resource.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.