EMDR & TRAUMA

The effect of trauma can haunt us for years, impacting relationships, work, and health. Depression and anxiety are common: we may feel hopeless about the future. Even traumas that may not fit the technical definition of PTSD can have a profound impact on our lives.

Our understanding of trauma and how to process it has developed significantly in recent years. We now know that trauma “lives” in the body, and that the body rather than the mind is key to processing it. (See Bessel Van Der Kolk’s “The Body Keeps The Score.”)

EMDR

I use an “evidence based” technique called “EMDR,” or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, to help clients process trauma. This technique has extensive clinical research behind it, and the VA uses it for veterans with PTSD.

EMDR is a gentle technique. It is not necessary to discuss details of the trauma in order to process it. Instead EMDR uses bi-lateral brain stimulation to enable your body to “digest” the trauma to reduce its impact so it is less painful / disturbing.

For more about EMDR from the VA, see: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/emdr.asp