When we hear the word trauma we often think of a terrible life-threatening event – a car accident, natural disaster or an act of violence which changes us forever. But psychological trauma needn’t be caused by a single event – it can be – and often is – the result of a cumulative process of traumatic interactions in childhood which can permanently change the brain and leave young people with a vulnerability to mental illness. So what happens when something goes wrong?
Read MoreWhen we hear the word trauma, many of us thing of sexual abuse, natural disasters, or war time experiences. And while those are common traumas we see regularly here at The Counseling Collective Fort Worth, I thought it would be helpful to list out other types of traumas and distressing experiences we see and process inside EMDR therapy.
Read MoreAccording to childtrauma.org, one out of three females in the U.S. have been victims of sexual abuse before age 18. Child sexual abuse, or CSA, is any interaction between a child and an adult (or another child) in which the child is used for the sexual stimulation of the perpetrator or an observer. When a perpetrator engages with a child this way, they are committing a crime that can have lasting effects for years.
Read MoreSometimes the unknown prevents us for seeking out a certain treatment. I want to take some time to explain the different phases of EMDR therapy that your counselor will follow during this treatment. I think it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of the process to help minimize anxiety and de-mystify the treatment. Here is a quick synopsis of the 8-phase protocol for EMDR therapy to give you a sense of what to expect!
Read MoreWe have hundreds of messages and thoughts that run through our head on any given day. But for most of us, we just let them run unchecked in our heads, it’s not until we stop and take stock of them that we even notice they are happening. The truth is, these negative statements we are hearing are directly causing more stress in already stressful situations in our lives. They are causing us to get more easily overwhelmed, to lose sight of what is really going on in specific situations, and attach things to people that they are not actually thinking or feeling about us or the situation. Ultimately, they cause of pain and hurt and affect our relationships in negative ways.
Read MoreEMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence based approach most commonly connected to treating trauma. Traumas like being in a car accident, unexpected or sudden death of loved one, sexual or physical assault, learning your spouse has had an affair or a porn addiction, or getting a divorce. Or for smaller traumas that build on each other like having or adopting a child, working as a nurse or doctor in a children’s hospital, relocating, planning a wedding, being bullied at school, or conflict with significant other or children.
Read MoreHow can we allow the trauma from our lives to transform us? Allowing us to become more compassionate and empathetic as people? Can we learn to create a way of living with trauma that allows us to bring new meaning to our lives?
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