Trauma therapy and EMDR

TRAUMA AND EMDR — Untangle the Confusion

If you experience intense levels of emotion, negative self-beliefs (such as unlovable, unworthy, not good enough, a failure), excessive guilt, or experience broken relationships, you may benefit from EMDR and trauma therapy.

EMDR, eye-moment desensitization and reprocessing, is an evidenced based approach that has most commonly been associated with treating trauma. EMDR therapy incorporates thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and body sensations that get in the way of living in the present moments.

There are Big “T” Traumas and little “t” traumas. Big “T” Trauma is an event that is a real or perceived threat to your life or an event where you feel powerless and out of control. Big “T” Trauma is what we usually think when someone mentions abuse, combat/war, natural disasters and accidents. It is overwhelming to a person’s system and will often lead to PTSD. It is easily recognized as trauma. Little “t” trauma is an every day event that exceeds our ability to cope and we (usually) handle it poorly. Alone, it won’t have much of an effect but if our little “t” traumas build on each other eventually may lead to the development of negative beliefs and PTSD symptoms. Little “t” trauma can be being bullied at school, experience chronic pain, infidelity, divorce, abrupt or extended relocation/move, planning a wedding, staring a new job, conflict with significant others or children, having or adopting a child, legal trouble, financial worries or difficulty. Each type of trauma should be acknowledged and treated. Just because you think, “it shouldn’t bother me” doesn’t mean that it won’t. Trauma and trauma are real and a part of living life. When they lead to difficult coping in the present-that’s when you should seek help. Click the button below to schedule an appointment with Julie Ayala, LPC, SEP, EMDR-Certified today. If you have questions, you can email Julie directly at julie@thecounselingcollectivefw.com.

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Trauma

Death of a Thousand Cuts: Young People and Trauma

Trauma

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?

Trauma

Types of Trauma Treated by EMDR

Trauma

When 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.

Trauma

Childhood Sexual Abuse Facts

Trauma

According 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.

Trauma

What's it Like? A Look Inside the EMDR Therapy Process

Trauma

Sometimes 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!

Trauma

Negative Thought Patterns

Trauma

We 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.

Trauma

What is EMDR and Can it Help Me?

Trauma

EMDR 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.

Trauma

Grief and Loss, Trauma

Can Trauma Help You Grow?

Grief and Loss, Trauma

How 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?

Grief and Loss, Trauma