Trauma Counseling and EMDR

What may be a small trauma for one person (a “small t” trauma) may be a significantly traumatic experience (a “big T” trauma) for another person. Trauma can occur as a one-time experience, such as a car accident or natural disaster, or can be ongoing such as domestic violence, child abuse, or community violence. Most of us have experienced several small “t” and often one or more big “T” traumas in our life. Why is that important? Well, cumulative traumas can create increasing vulnerability to anxiety disorders, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, or substance abuse, and result in negative impacts on work functioning, parenting, and personal relationships. Some distress after a traumatic event is normal, however, if it seems like you are not feeling better or are feeling worse, it’s important to get help as soon as you can rather than trying to “tough it out.” I am an experienced trauma therapist ready to help you!

Research into trauma has been extensive in the past 20 years and we have learned a lot about how trauma impacts the brain and what kinds of treatments work best to untangle the effects that traumatic experiences have had on clients. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a treatment approach I use as a part of my comprehensive care for clients affected by trauma. It is listed in the new Department of Veterans Affairs & Department of Defense Practice Guidelines “A” category as “highly recommended” for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a multi-phase psychotherapy that helps the client reduce the vividness of and distress caused by traumatic memories as well as shifts negative belief systems to more adaptive perspectives. What appeals to many clients is that the reprocessing can be done by thinking of the event but without having to talk in detail about the trauma.