Healing Trauma by Igniting the True Self to Emerge: Moshe Fund’s Mission to Restore Inner Peace through Diverse Modalities

To live mindfully and in fulfillment, it’s essential to face fears, understand the lingering pain of the past, and embrace the constant evolution of thoughts and feelings. For nearly 15 years, Moshe Fund, LCSW, MSW, and psychotherapist certified in New Jersey, has been guiding patients to that sense of inner peace by guiding them to feel more empowered to face life’s obstacles with confidence and clarity.

With a deep understanding of diverse healing modalities, he can masterfully address challenges as unique as each patient, from depression and PTSD to chronic trauma, a condition he is particularly fascinated with. This commitment is rooted in his personal journey, from following in his family’s footsteps to discovering a profound sense of purpose. As the son of a psychologist, Fund has always been familiar with the immense power of therapy. But even after he graduated in 2011, it hasn’t been clear to him where his expertise would lie.

He entered the industry with nothing but an open mind, and serendipitously, he found himself in the emotional psychodynamic realm. When he witnessed the first transformation of a chronic trauma patient, Fund felt it deeply. This inspired him to explore the nuances of chronic trauma further, laying the foundation for his career. “The interesting thing about it is, chronic trauma is more difficult to identify, and many people go through life never knowing they’re victims,” he adds. “My goal is to make them at least consider diving deep into their history to correct negatively impactful experiences.”

Unlike acute trauma, chronic trauma doesn’t stem from a single incident. In fact, it doesn’t require any major traumatic event to occur. Defined as repeated and prolonged maladaptive experiences, chronic trauma leaves a long-lasting impact beyond the actual self. Fund explains, “For instance, domestic violence survivors know—logically—that they’re past the danger. But sometimes, their emotional systems haven’t absorbed that yet.”

As trauma can be stored cognitively, somatically, or viscerally, it takes a keen observer with a broad set of tools to not only identify it but also remove it. In his practice, Fund alleviates trauma with an extensive suite of modalities, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Somatic modalities. With this toolbox, combined with his empathetic approach, Fund honors the vulnerability of patients by ensuring that when roadblocks occur, they can be tackled.

He emphasizes the importance of introspection with a professional’s assistance. However, as it is difficult to identify, many individuals don’t know when or how to seek help. “The signs are subtle, but they are there, and they show up in daily life,” he says. “They show up as low self-esteem, tendencies to be a people pleaser, avoidance, attachment issues, lack of motivation, and even addiction. These are more than someone’s personality; they’re an indicator that the emotional system has compartmentalized a traumatic past into a hidden archive in our brains.”

An honest assessment is what it takes, according to Fund, to get through the many layers of defense patients subconsciously built over the years. Cloaked as ‘comfort,’ this defense mechanism actually prevents individuals from moving on. That’s where a psychotherapist’s role is invaluable. Instead of pressuring you to peel off the mask and let the archives flood, they gently progress until the emotional system is ready to confront trauma, guiding patients to rewire their programming from within. The goal of therapy, therefore, is to remove the barriers placed by patients’ own psyche as necessary adaptations to prior life experiences.

Moshe Fund has been fulfilling this role with pride and dedication for nearly 15 years, motivated by the immense impact he has seen firsthand. “Just this morning, I reached out to a client of five years, with the deep pain of acute chronic trauma history, to ask about his progress and if he felt like he had achieved his goals of inner peace. ‘I really feel like I’m okay’ is all he said, and it was truly powerful,” he recalls. “That’s what keeps me on track every day: witnessing that by expanding patients’ tolerance to different environments, I help them find the way forward to expand their horizons.”

This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider.