Trauma Therapy

Trauma is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a disordered emotional, psychotic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury. So even the brain’s arousal of the emotions (based on previous learned experiences) can cause even the slightest responses to become threatening conversation and to escalate quickly. How as an EMDR-trained therapist can we calm down the nervous system, train your brain to slow down to think, and inevitably heal the brain?

Trauma is a word that is used often in discussing situations that clients have lived through that have previously caused high levels of emotional distress. Reports of this in therapy are on the rise, and as an EMDR therapist it’s important to pinpoint just what it is without re-traumatizing the individual. There are many different ways to do this, but it’s important to empathize, provide psycho-education, explore positive habits to improve symptoms, and ways in which clients could learn to heal.

Trauma, whether physical or emotional, is usually described as a distressing or disturbing experience that can inevitably change the brain’s ability to properly process information. These brain changes can happen during and/or after the event. Sometimes so much that it causes disruptions in the client’s ability to function by sending off warning signals to the rest of the body (from amygdala) even when anything slightly reminds them of the event.

Commonly this is what others see as a highly emotional reaction to some sort of stimulus, and usually means the individual is probably in flight, fight or freeze mode. It’s important for the person to learn about what may be causing this and possibly working with EMDR therapist on how to heal the brain naturally on its own.