What happens when we’re securely connected? In this episode of The Aliveness Project: Conversations on Connection, host Iris McAlpin Garrett sits down with two longtime friends and NARM practitioners—Ralf Marzen and Maya Vaughan—to explore why connection is central to healing, and what gets in the way.

Drawing from both clinical practice and lived experience, Ralf and Maya reflect on the deep human longing for connection, the survival strategies that pull us away from ourselves and others, and how the therapeutic relationship can become a powerful space for reconnection. Together they explore themes around embodiment, authenticity, rupture and repair, shame as a strategy of disconnection, and the role of agency in healing developmental trauma.

This wide-ranging conversation also touches on the realities of modern relationships: why conflict is essential for intimacy, how misattunements can actually deepen trust, and why young people today may need new pathways toward connection in an increasingly digital world. With warmth, humor, and candor, Ralf and Maya offer a grounded and hopeful look at what becomes possible when we return to ourselves—and each other.

🎧 The Aliveness Project: Conversations on Connection is created and produced by the NARM Training Institute.
🎬 Post-production, editing, and audio mixing/mastering by Tim Skipper (IG: @timmyskip).

About Maya:

Maya Vaughan is a relationship coach and a NARM therapist. She is also the Director of the Trauma Training Institute UK where she collaborates with Ralf Marzen, who is the lead NARM trainer for NARM trainings in the UK.  

Maya integrates NARM and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy to support emotional safety, self-awareness, and authentic connection in her work with individuals and couples. Maya is also an Associate Member of the British Emotionally Focused Therapy Centre, the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, and the Complementary Medical Association.

Drawing on her professional expertise and her own relational healing journey, Maya brings compassion, clarity, and depth to her work. She lives in north London with her husband of 20 years and her three daughters.

You can find Maya on her website at mayavaughan.com or on social media…

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-vaughan

About Ralf:

Ralf Marzen is a psychologist, trauma therapist, and seminar leader with 25 years of experience working with individuals and groups. He is a NARM teacher and currently teaches NARM trainings in the US, Spain, Germany, the UK and Turkey.

Beyond his trauma therapy practice, Ralf serves as the director of the StillPoint Centre for WellBeing in London and the Mudita School of Thai Yoga Massage. Drawing on both his extensive professional training and a lifelong passion for the journey of healing and awakening, Ralf brings sensitivity, compassion, and clarity to his work.

Collaborating with Maya, Ralf is the lead trainer for NARM professional courses offered by the Trauma Training Institute, UK.

You can find Ralf on his website at https://www.embodied-trauma-healing.com/.

You can find both Ralf and Maya at the Trauma Training Institute UK at traumatraininginstitute.co.uk.

Special Thanks
To the NARM Training Institute team—Lindsey Smith, Olga Piontkowski, Emily Scott, and Tue Kjær—for invaluable production support, and to Tim Skipper for his outstanding post-production, editing, and creative work.