Janina Fisher Ph.D.

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Oakland, CA
Janina Fisher Ph.D.

Janina Fisher is an international expert on the treatment of trauma and dissociation, a trainer for It has been a privilege to learn with them and from them.
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e what always to say and what never to say, helped to validate or disprove what the experts and theorists were claiming. We now understand that trauma’s imprint is both psychological and somatic: long after the events are over, the body continues to respond as if danger were everpresent. My professional mission has been to bring this understanding of trauma to both clients and their therapists as a psychotherapist, consultant, and trainer of clinicians looking for answers to helping their traumatized clients. I believe the key to healing is not just knowing what happened but transforming how the mind, body, and soul still remember it. Janina Fisher, PhD is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Instructor at the Trauma Center, an outpatient clinic and research center founded by Bessel van der Kolk. Known for her expertise as both a therapist and consultant, she is also past president of the New England Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation, an EMDR International Association Credit Provider, a faculty member of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, and a former Instructor, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Fisher has been an invited speaker at the Cape Cod Institute, Harvard Medical School Conference Series, the EMDR International Association Annual Conference, University of Wisconsin, University of Westminster in London, the Psychotraumatology Institute of Europe, and the Esalen Institute. Dr. Fisher lectures and teaches nationally and internationally on topics related to the integration of research and treatment and how to introduce these newer trauma treatment paradigms in traditional therapeutic approaches.

04/20/2026

Trauma often leaves individuals not only with overwhelming feelings, but also with a harsh internal response to those feelings.

In my work, I emphasize that many of the reactions people judge most critically are coming from parts of the self that are carrying the burden of past experience. Approaching these parts with curiosity and compassion can reduce internal conflict and support a greater sense of safety and integration.

04/16/2026

A common misunderstanding about trauma is that experiencing different “parts” of the self means someone is “multiple.” In reality, the mind naturally organizes experience into different states. Trauma can make these parts more separated when overwhelming experiences cannot be fully integrated.

04/10/2026

Borderline personality disorder is often framed as a disorder of emotion or personality. From a trauma-informed perspective, many of the symptoms reflect shifts in a nervous system shaped by chronic threat–moving between overwhelming emotional activation and shutdown.

04/07/2026

If the experience is a single event, and we have adequate support afterward, and we have had little or no prior trauma, then we will be left shaken, but the events will feel “behind” us now. If traumatic events have been recurrent, and/or we are developmentally vulnerable, and/or we have inadequate support, we can be left with a host of ‘implicit’ memories, intense responses and symptoms that “tell the story” but without words and without the knowledge that we are remembering.

03/31/2026

This is your chance to engage with me in real time, ask questions about issues that matter most to your practice, and get grounded in why TIST Level 1 is such a powerful first step on the pathway to trauma healing. You’ll discover how TIST helps clients move from internal conflict and self-alienation toward mindful connection, self-compassion, and regulation, all through a neurobiologically-informed empathic approach that therapists consistently describe as transformative for both themselves and their clients. Level 1 is the first step toward certification as a TIST therapist and listing in our TIST directory.

If you’ve ever felt stuck with clients who don’t respond to your usual methods, or if you want to bring a deeper way of working with trauma into your practice, this webinar will show you what’s possible through Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST).

📅 Friday, April 10th, 2026
9:00-10:30am PDT/ 12:00-1:30pm EDT / 5:00-6:30pm BST

Register now – https://therapywisdom.com/ask-me-anything-about-tist-freewebinar-janina-fisher/?oprid=34774&ref=41101

03/30/2026

Talking about trauma is often not enough.

When overwhelming emotion pushes the nervous system beyond its capacity, the brain areas needed for language, reflection, and narrative are no longer fully available. Traumatic experience is then held not just in words, but in sensations, emotions, and autonomic responses.

For this reason, trauma treatment must go beyond verbal processing. It must include attention to the body, the nervous system, and the development of safety and stabilization in the present.

The task is not simply to remember the past, but to help the individual remain here, now, without being pulled back into it.

03/27/2026

Symptoms associated with borderline personality disorder can be understood as survival adaptations to early trauma and attachment disruption rather than signs of a defective personality.

03/24/2026

In trauma, the mind fragments.

Part of us keeps going—managing daily life—while another part remains organized around threat, anticipating what might happen next. Traumatic memory is often held not as a narrative, but as sensations, emotions, and body memories that feel as if they are happening now.

Understanding this helps explain why trauma survivors can function in some moments and feel overwhelmed in others.

03/23/2026

Dissociation is one of the most misunderstood concepts in trauma psychology. In reality, it is not a sign of pathology but a natural capacity of the mind that becomes more pronounced in the context of overwhelming experience.

Want to learn more about dissociation? Read my full free ebook: Dissociative Phenomena in the Everyday Lives of Trauma Survivors.

https://janinafisher.com/resources/ebooks/dissociative-phenomena-in-the-everyday-lives-of-trauma-survivors/

03/20/2026

Healing from trauma is not about retelling what happened.

It is about understanding how those experiences live on in the present—and learning how to feel safe again.

03/16/2026

These patterns are not signs of weakness or defectiveness. They are often the legacy of a nervous system that learned to adapt to difficult circumstances.

Healing typically begins not with forcing memories to surface, but with developing safety, stabilization, and new ways to regulate the body and mind.

03/12/2026

Healing from trauma starts with feeling safe, reclaiming control, and knowing your worth. Survivors should never feel small, less than, or ashamed. Every step toward healing is a step toward empowerment.⠀
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Explore my free eBook on my website: Stages of Trauma Recovery, to learn more about how to navigate this journey. Link in Bio!⠀
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Address

5665 College Avenue, Suite 220C
Oakland, CA
94618

Website

http://www.janinafisher.com/

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My Story

I have had the good fortune to have been taught by or worked alongside the giants in the field of psychological trauma: first, Judith Herman, then Bessel van der Kolk, and, most recently, Pat Ogden. And as much as these pioneers taught me, the most powerful and gifted teachers I have are my patients. These survivors have given me a window into the inner experience of the legacy of trauma, taught me what always to say and what never to say, helped to validate or disprove what the experts and theorists were claiming. It has been a privilege to learn with them and from them. We now understand that trauma’s imprint is both psychological and somatic: long after the events are over, the body continues to respond as if danger were everpresent. My professional mission has been to bring this understanding of trauma to both clients and their therapists as a psychotherapist, consultant, and trainer of clinicians looking for answers to helping their traumatized clients. I believe the key to healing is not just knowing what happened but transforming how the mind, body, and soul still remember it. Janina Fisher, PhD is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Instructor at the Trauma Center, an outpatient clinic and research center founded by Bessel van der Kolk. Known for her expertise as both a therapist and consultant, she is also past president of the New England Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation, an EMDR International Association Credit Provider, a faculty member of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, and a former Instructor, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Fisher has been an invited speaker at the Cape Cod Institute, Harvard Medical School Conference Series, the EMDR International Association Annual Conference, University of Wisconsin, University of Westminster in London, the Psychotraumatology Institute of Europe, and the Esalen Institute. Dr. Fisher lectures and teaches nationally and internationally on topics related to the integration of research and treatment and how to introduce these newer trauma treatment paradigms in traditional therapeutic approaches.