Trauma
You do not have to be held captive by your memories
Trauma therapy and EMDR for adults, in Crozier, Powhatan, and online across Virginia.
When you cannot get away from it
Ann* sat in her room, staring at the wall. She had come in to do something and could not remember what. She had not been sleeping. And the dreams felt so real.
Her heart sped up. Her hands clenched. Her throat went tight. Then a car horn sounded outside and she snapped out of it.
She had been telling herself these were passing episodes. They only lasted seconds. But they were coming more often. She thought she had filed those memories away for good.
*Name changed to protect confidentiality.
Maybe they were misfiled
Think of your memories as files in a cabinet. While you dream, your brain files the day away. A traumatic memory does not file properly. It sticks up out of the drawer, and the drawer will not shut.
You can force it closed, and that may work for a while. Sooner or later it flies open for no reason you can see, and everything in it comes out.
How EMDR helps
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps your brain put the memory where it belongs, so the drawer can close.
You bring the memory to mind, but this time it is more like watching a film of it. While you do, you follow moving dots on a screen or listen to a tone that moves from ear to ear. That is the part that does the reprocessing.
Most of a session is spent doing this, not describing what happened. You will not have to talk through every detail.
It is not a magic solution and it takes work. It can also be used to strengthen good memories and kinder beliefs about yourself, not only to quiet the painful ones.
The memories can stay memories
You can remember what happened without it setting off the same feelings, the same thoughts, or the same beliefs about who you are. The memory can simply be there, without running things.
Many of the people I see carry trauma from childhood, from families where it was not safe to be themselves. If that is you, you are in the right place.
Ask me anything about it
A free 15-minute call is a good place to bring your questions about EMDR and trauma therapy.