Traumatic experiences often come out of left field, and leave you reeling. So often, it’s completely under-appreciated how impactful trauma and grief can be, along with how many different areas of your life they can impact. The mental, social, physical, and biological impact of trauma and grief can completely shift the ways we view ourselves, other people, and the world around us.

It’s incredibly common for responses to trauma and grief to be very delayed - sometimes for months or even years - but it can also be extremely confusing as to why it took so long for things to ‘sink in.’ It also can take longer than we think it should, to heal and put the pieces back together again.

For each of us experiencing trauma and grief, regardless of the context or capacity it’s happening in, there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers for how to move through it. Different people benefit from different approaches in order to process and heal. I believe in exploring options in order to find what works for each individual. Because of that, I use three different therapeutic approaches in my practice. They are CBT, DBT, and EMDR. For more information about each approach, please check out those specific pages or reach out for a free consultation. For more information on trauma and using EMDR interventions please continue reading. This is also where things can get a little more technical, so please forgive the psychobabble.

Like physical trauma, emotional trauma effects everyone differently. After an injury, one person may develop a small bruise. Another could form a larger, darker bruise. Our bodies heal differently. The same is true of our minds which is connected to our body and out symptoms for both are often connected. After a traumatic experience, some people experience mild adverse effects for a short time. Others will experience more significant and/or long-lasting symptoms. They may even develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that presents as severe cognitive, emotional, and physical side effects that can last for years. Unresolved trauma may present as:

• Cognitive impact – guilt or self-blame, negative worldview, experiencing painful memories as if they are still happening or that feel real, nightmares, difficulty concentrating, suicidal ideation.
• Emotional impact – hypervigilance, nervousness, helplessness, fear, numbness, irritability, mood swings, feeling withdrawn or detached.
• Physical impact – upset stomach, headaches, body aches, sweating, shaking, irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing.
• Behavioral impact - difficulty sleeping, sleeping too much, eating more or less than usual, relying on substances to numb or alleviate symptoms, starting fights, avoiding people.

While trauma and the mind and body’s adverse response to it are very common, addressing the symptoms that result from traumatic experiences can be remarkably difficult, especially for those who develop PTSD. Traditional talk therapy can reduce trauma symptoms, but it can take months or even years of commitment to attending therapy sessions before they feel a restored sense of stability. EMDR is an approach to therapy that uses bilateral stimulation, moving eyes from side to side (or bilateral touch), to reduce symptoms of trauma. Research has shown that these bilateral movements reprogram the way the brain stores and processes memories. This reduces symptoms and heals the effects of trauma.

EMDR therapy sessions are more structured than traditional talk therapy. During your initial visit or first few visits, we’ll discuss your goals and develop a treatment plan. Then, you’ll create a calming space in your mind where you can retreat if memories become too distressing during a session. Next, I’ll guide you to think and/or talk through a difficult memory while performing bilateral eye movements that work to desensitize difficult memories. To end each session, we will talk about your experience. If you have achieved the desired level of desensitization related to the targeted memory, you can move on to the next memory. If not, you will continue working on the memory at future sessions.