When I refer to trauma recovery in my practice, I am referring to the process of healing and coping with the emotional and psychological effects of a traumatic experience. To recover is essentially, to return to or regain your Self.
The human experience it to have internal sensations (interoception) in our day to day, which are immediately decoded by the brain based on past experience or knowledge. It is then formed into a thought / our perception and connected to our emotional experience. Our decoding is influenced by our culture, childhood, internalized belief systems, and past experiences – traumatic or not. Our process of decoding and connecting to emotional experience is also influenced by our neurotype.
Regarding childhood trauma – if the brain hasn’t fully processed memories of traumatic experiences from our past, they are stored in our long-term memory in fragments. It is not saved as a linear story in the brain. This is typical of traumatic experiences even if they have been processed in talk therapy and can also be the case with a recent adult trauma that hasn’t been processed yet. This is why memories may be foggy.
Think about if you are experiencing something painful. It is natural to disassociate (or check out a bit). Imagine the alternative of getting present and focused if you are being physically harmed. That would not be helpful. This is why we forget parts of our past that were painful. The mind sort of splits; to protect us. This protective factor is helpful at the time, but later can cause problems. When we no longer need that protection, we can experience anxiety, depression, defenses that keep us guarded, and attachment insecurities. Usually I hear, “this isn’t working for me anymore.”
The unprocessed stored memory has the sensory perceptions and thoughts that were there at the time of the trauma- essentially, the childhood perspective is locked in place and causes our adult self to perceive triggers in the present from a similar vantage point of the age a trauma was experienced. This can arise as a trigger that is obviously linked to a past experience (i.e. A current death in the family brings up a past loss) or less obvious (you are experiencing anxiety at work and what’s being triggered is a sense of low self-worth tied to past relationship with a parent).
In therapy with me, we deal with what is coming up. The past is gone, but there is present anxiety, confusing emotions, reactivity, and trauma re-experiencing that is being called up from the long-term memory. So often we are upset because we something from our past.
If you are seeking trauma treatment with me, I don’t believe that we have to relive past experiences in order to heal and move forward. I usually start on the level of thoughts (cognition) with a present moment focus. The goal is to first ground yourself and understand what is happening in your brain and body – and how your experience is being interpreted by your brain. I also seek to understand how you process emotions, your connection to your Spiritual Self or higher Self (how you relate to and make meaning with the unknowns in life, your beliefs, religion etc..) and how you relate to your physical self. I think the body is an important part of the process – as a teacher.
If you think about a trauma that occurred before the age of full language development, it will be harder to recall the experience as an adult with use of words. You will experience more sensations and feelings than language when processing. The body is a communicator here. As our body’s hunger cues tell us when we are hungry, our body is giving signals where we need to release or connect to emotion and beliefs that may be beyond words or thoughts.
Often, with trauma we are more disconnected from our body- especially if the body was involved in the trauma. It’s a sensitive process to know when it’s actually helpful to get present in the body and when it doesn’t feel safe. It takes time. We do not rent an excavator and dig into your past. We deal with what is coming up now, in the present. We work on maintaining regulation through the process.
I work with many adults who have had a recent trauma and we utilize the same approach. I use integrative, experiential, and evidence-based approaches that allow processing of trauma without the necessity of retelling the whole story to process.
I have completed advanced training in EMDR (Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing) through the EMDR institute. If you would like to learn more about this evidenced based treatment for trauma, you can learn about it here.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidenced based model of psychotherapy treatment that facilitates the processing of traumatic memories. There is substantial research that shows the negative impact adverse life experiences have on our psychological and biomedical wellbeing – that it can create pathology in the mind and body. EMDR therapy is a multi-component approach that works with imagery, thoughts, emotions, body sensation, and related memories to reduce the psychological and physiological impact of trauma.
After successful treatment, if the memories are recalled, they no longer have the emotional intensity or somatic association that they had prior to EMDR. In other words, remembering the event will no longer feel as though you are reliving it.
EMDR is different than Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Exposure therapy because it doesn’t require talking in detail about a distressing experience. During typical life events, memories are networked and connected to other things you remember and appropriate feelings and thoughts. During disturbing or upsetting events, the memory is stored with a disorganized link between the imagery, thoughts, emotions and sensations. Through the process of bilateral focus, EMDR untangles and restores the links appropriately. This is akin to what happens during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep while your brain processes images from the day. REM sleep stage is needed for emotional regulation and memory consolidation.
During EMDR therapy, the client is always alert, and awake. To start, a target memory or experience has been identified. The client accesses the emotionally disturbing material in specific ways guided by the therapist so that the client stays within a regulated window of emotional tolerance. This happens in short sequential doses while focusing on an external bilateral (left to right) stimulus at the same time.
This is most often eye movement, but can also be achieved by listening to a bilateral sound through headphones or using a hand-held tactile stimulus. These brief doses provide the client with control over repeatedly accessing and dismissing the disturbing emotions, thoughts, or sensations. Picture glancing and looking away while being guided by the therapist who can help you quickly regulate if it feels unmanageable.
During the guided process the client identifies new insights, associations, other related experiences etc… that emerge into awareness through free association (as they come up naturally). With increases sense of control and links restored and connected, the memory is filed in order. Negative beliefs associated dissipate and make way for new views on the memory.
The treatment duration varies person to person. After the first appointment I can usually offer a recommendation. A single trauma can be processed within 3-6 sessions and many people see me for up to 12 sessions. Some clients see me as an adjunct EMDR therapist short term in collaboration with their long-term therapist. I also work with clients long term with more complex trauma and utilize EMDR when it is deemed helpful.