Trauma
Trauma
Sudden, traumatic life events can shatter people’s lives. They can have a profound effect on the way that people feel about themselves and others and the nature of the world around them. People can experience utter confusion and often terror about the way they are feeling and behaving after a sudden traumatic event.
People’s reactions and responses after a trauma are often so strong and overwhelming that it is not uncommon for people to feel that they are ‘going mad,’ or ‘losing complete control over their life’. People are often surprised and relieved when they hear that they are not unique in experiencing these feelings, that they are not ‘going mad’ but that their reactions are common and understandable responses to trauma. Moreover, these can be helped and people can heal and recover from the trauma.
You can find out more by reading trauma (PDF 95Kb)
Sufferers of trauma may benefit from a treatment known as Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR is a non-drug, non-hypnosis psychotherapy procedure. The therapist guides the client in concentrating on a troubling memory or emotion while moving the eyes rapidly back and forth (by following the therapist’s fingers). This rapid eye movement, which occurs naturally during dreaming, seems to speed the client’s movement through the healing process.
EMDR is an intensive procedure for working through upsetting material. It should only be provided by a mental health professional with formal, supervised training in EMDR. It is safe and does not involve hypnosis or drugs. Research has shown that EMDR can help to make treatment both fast and effective.
You can find out more by reading What is EMDR? (PDF 68Kb)
