Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Many people who have lived through a traumatic experience find themselves struggling with disturbing emotions, frightening memories, or a hyper-awareness of possible danger that is relentless and ongoing. Others feel disconnected from their lives and people around them. They may even feel like they are separated from their bodies and watching themselves go through the motions. They may feel numb, yet frightened, and unable to make connections with the people they interact with in life.
Many times, people who are dealing with the effects of trauma feel confused because they dont believe that they SHOULD be feeling traumatized. It's very important to remember that while traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety, any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and alone can be traumatic, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It’s not the objective facts that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized.
The good news is that help is available, whether the trauma is recent or happened years ago. Help is available whether the trauma was a single event, or on-going events over the course of a period of time.
One of the treatment methods that many have found to be very effective (including myself) is EMDR. EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a form of therapy that is used to treat trauma and PTSD in people of all ages. In my practice I have had successful results with children as young as 3 and adults as old as 82. The success of EMDR is not based upon or limited by the age of the person seeking therapy.
One of the reasons EMDR is not limited by the age of the person seeking help is that it is not like most "talk-based" therapies. While these styles of therapy definitely have their place, EMDR does not require that a person know how to talk about what is bothering them. EMDR simulates the body's natural method of processing information to help "un-stick" the traumatic experiences and free the person from the triggers that cause them to re-experience the trauma.
For more information on EMDR, contact me or go to www.emdr.com