Trauma is a word that references an event or events in someone’s life that, in a broad description, overwhelmed them in that moment. The reactions people have to that event or events can be what brings them into therapy. When we experience trauma, it can impact the way we see the world, feel safe, assess relationships, take care of ourselves, process and react to new information or experiences, make decisions etc… There are many ways that the event(s) can create a ripple throughout our lives and the lives of those around us. Overall, it shatters assumptions that we hold within us.
Therapy can be one way that people might work through trauma and its impact on the present and future. There is no one way to start to work through the impact of trauma, and we work together to explore what might fit best for you.
“Some people’s lives seem to flow in a narrative; mine had many stops and starts. That’s what trauma does. It interrupts the plot. You can’t process it because it doesn’t fit with what came before or what comes afterwards.”
– Jessica Stern –
Some people want to talk about it in detail and others might want to work to gain different ways of coping with present triggers. Some people prefer traditional talk therapy and others want to utilize EMDR. You might feel a great deal of anxiety about the idea of starting this work, and we will work together to move at your speed. Vulnerability can feel overwhelming and/intimidating, and we communicate and pace the process in order to allow our time together to feel safe and supportive.
Megan primarily uses EMDR as the treatment approach for working with trauma. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR works to alleviate the distress that has been “held onto” from the traumatic experience. EMDR targets the part of the brain where this trauma is “held” and through bilateral movement allows the trauma to release from the “flight/fight/freeze” part of the brain and lets the “whole brain” digest the trauma so that one no longer experiences present day life through the lens of trauma. EMDR can be effectively facilitate both via video and in person. For bilateral movement, eye movement, sound, tapping, or tactile pulsers can be used. Megan is happy to answer further questions about EMDR and how this might be of benefit for trauma healing.