Is it just me…or is it my trauma?
Most people have heard about PTSD and may know the symptoms. PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, occurs when someone experiences a single traumatic event, directly or as a witness, and continues to experience negative symptoms for more than a month. These symptoms include flashbacks, irritability, avoidance of anything that is a reminder of the traumatic event, loss of interest in enjoyable activities, difficulty concentrating, and more.
Researchers realized, however, that there are people who experience chronic trauma. Many of these people experienced childhood trauma, primarily abuse and neglect. There are also others who have experienced chronic trauma that has resulted in Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or C-PTSD. These include victims/witnesses of domestic violence, victims of ongoing emotional abuse, individuals who had unmet emotional needs in childhood, individuals whose caregivers failed to protect them from abuse or neglect, victims of social and racial injustice, and anyone who has experienced a prolonged or reoccurring trauma can develop C-PTSD.
Although C-PTSD is not currently listed in the DSM (that’s the diagnostic manual for all mental health disorders) it is very real and it shares symptoms with PTSD in addition to other symptoms. These additional symptoms can include trouble controlling emotions, poor sense of self and shame, challenges with relationships, disconnecting from reality, and feelings of hopelessness. Understanding how you may be affected by C-PTSD is the first step toward healing.
EMDR therapy is a research-based and scientifically proven treatment for C-PTSD. I often have clients that come to me with really low self-esteem and negative thought patterns. Once we start diving into that, we often uncover C-PTSD. With EMDR treatment, the client and the therapist identify what that continuous negative self-talk is, for example, “I am bad” which is the message they may have received over and over from a parent or abusive relationship.
We then identify a more “adaptive” belief. How does the client WANT to feel, for example, the client may want to feel that they are good just the way they are. In EMDR we work with eye movements to desensitize the negative, “I am bad” belief and install the more adaptive belief, “I am good just the way that I am.” We also identify where the trauma is showing up for you. Is it showing up in toxic relationship patterns? Is it showing up in poor self-esteem? Is it showing up in a physical way like inflammation and autoimmune issues? Oftentimes, with EMDR, clients are able to process trauma and improve symptoms in fewer sessions than with traditional talk therapy alone.
When doing any kind of trauma work it’s important to find a therapist that you can form a strong, trusting relationship with so that they can guide you on your journey for healing…because there is hope and there is healing.
Looking for Florida online trauma therapy or California online trauma therapy, contact us today!
Preliminary Evidence of Efficacy for EMDR Resource Development and Installation in the Stabilization Phase of Treatment of Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
