What is Trauma and how does it affect us? |
Traditionally, the term trauma is used to refer to situations in which an individual is exposed to actual or threatened death or serious physical injury, or in situations of sexual violence. Examples of traumatic events include car accidents, certain deployment experiences for military personal and their families, physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, sudden or violent death of a loved one, violent crimes, medical trauma, natural disasters, wars, and many other events. Traumatic events may have happened directly to you, or you may have witnessed the events happen to someone else. In some cases, trauma can involve hearing about traumatic events (e.g., as with first responders). These types of traumatic events may lead to symptoms of PTSD including nightmares, feeling "on edge" or easily startled, inability to remember certain aspects of the event(s), intrusive thoughts about the event(s), efforts to avoid certain places, people, or situations that remind you of the trauma, and/or feelings of shame, anger, guilt, fear, depressed mood, or increased anxiety.
You may also have heard the terms developmental, complex, or chronic trauma. These terms refer to ongoing childhood stressors, often involving relationships with caregivers or family members, that significantly impact attachment and subsequent development. This may include childhood neglect or emotional abuse, growing up with parents who struggle with mental health or substance abuse issues, witnessing domestic violence, parental separation, divorce, or incarceration, growing up without adequate food/shelter/etc, or living with chronic medical issues. Although this type of trauma may or may not cause PTSD, we know that developmental or complex trauma can have a tremendous impact on our lives. For example, we may feel the world is unsafe, experience deep feelings of shame or inadequacy, have difficulty forming healthy, stable interpersonal relationships, have difficulty "sticking up" for ourselves, worry too much about how others are feeling or feel we have to "fix" things for others, or have difficulty trusting others. There are many other ways in which our early experiences can impact life later on. |
Why should I "treat" trauma? |
In many ways the above symptoms are normal reactions to an abnormally stressful event or situation; however, they can make life very difficult and should be treated if they are causing you distress. Often, people come to therapy not realizing that things that have happened in the past are still impacting them. A great rule of thumb is that when you notice things that would cause other people a little distress are causing you a lot of distress, it may be because something is triggering you. A trigger is something happening in the present that reminds your brain of something that happened in the past. Sometimes we know this is happening, and sometimes we have no idea why we are responding so strongly. Loved ones or others around us may also notice or comment that we are "over-reacting" to things in our lives.
The good news is that we have effective, empirically supported (research-supported) treatments that can help to significantly reduce the impact of past events on your present life. Effective trauma-treatments can help to reduce all the symptoms discussed above, as well as improving how we feel about ourself, others, and the world around us. The American Psychological Association has a website on Clinical Practice Guidelines for Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder that is helpful in understanding trauma and effective trauma treatments. A number of our providers are trained in effective trauma-treatment techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapies and EMDR. |
What is EMDR? |
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of therapy that has been researched and found to be effective in treating current symptoms that are related to difficult or traumatic past events. This therapy can help to reduce the symptoms discussed above, and can be helpful for many people, even those who do not have PTSD. Many people like EMDR because it does not require that you talk to the therapist about every detail of events (which some other empirically supported treatments do require). The length of treatment tends to depend on the severity and chronicity of the trauma/stress. Some individuals may experience improvements after only a few sessions, whereas others may need more time to fully process the trauma/stress they have experienced in their lives. Trauma treatment is not always easy, but when successful, it can make a huge difference in your quality of life.
For more detailed description of EMDR, please visit the EMDR International Association's website, where they offer a good description of this type of therapy. We would also be happy to discuss EMDR with you if you are interested in more information. |
What should I look for in an EMDR provider? |
There are a number of "levels" of EMDR training, and it can be confusing to understand what the different titles mean. Below is a guide to help you understand each level of qualification:
Basic EMDR Training All professionals doing EMDR should have completed an EMDRIA approved EMDR Basic Training (parts 1 and 2). These trainings are intensive trainings that often span a number of months, and include live practice, supervision and ongoing consultation. Make sure your provider has completed a full basic training in EMDR (not a one-day workshop). EMDR Certified Therapist EMDR Certified Therapists have completed the basic training, as well as the following:
EMDRIA Approved Consultant Approved Consultants are professionals who assist with EMDR trainings and provide consultation to other EMDR providers, and have completed the following:
The EMDR International Association has a website to help you find qualified EMDR professionals. Not all professionals who have completed the Basic Training will be listed here, but all current EMDR Certified Therapists or Approved Consultants will be listed in this directory. All of WellSpring's therapists who do EMDR have completed an EMDRIA approved Basic Training, and have gotten additional hours of consultation, training, and continuing education. Some are EMDR Certified Therapists and/or Approved Consultants. |
EMDR Consultation for Professionals |
For professionals trained in EMDR who are seeking consultation hours to apply toward basic training, certification by EMDRIA, or who wish to develop advanced skills in EMDR, please click here for more information about our Consultation and Training opportunities.
|
