Trauma & Your Brain

Trauma is stored in the brain as fragmented pieces of information such as

• Images
• Negative beliefs
• Emotions
• Bodily sensations

Unlike ordinary memories that have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and that are safely in the past, trauma is stored in the brain as if it were undigested chunks of information that leaves us feeling as if we are still stuck in the past.
We can help you to move safely from the past, becoming more aware of the present, and we can help the brain’s natural healing mechanisms to ‘digest’ or process disturbing memories.
Our brain’s natural healing process involves communication between -

• The amygdala (the brain’s alarm system) communicating
• The hippocampus  (the part of the brain that learns about safety and danger) and
• The prefrontal cortex (the controller of behavior and emotion)

However, this natural healing system can be compromised if it has been overwhelmed with high levels of stress, particularly if that stress was experienced when we were young, and our brain was still forming.

EMDR has been thoroughly researched, and it is also extremely efficient.  We follow eight stages of a set protocol, and this is very focused work that will not take years and years (unlike other types of therapy).

I have worked with many clients who have experienced a significant improvement as a result of our work together.  They have seen an improved ability at work, a healthier happier home life, and they have enjoyed more rewarding relationships with friends and family.

What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of therapy that helps your brain's natural healing process.  Disturbing memories can get stuck in the brain, and even if this relates to incidents from years ago, we can remain trapped with the same unhelpful beliefs, emotions, or bodily sensations.
The purpose of EMDR is to bring you to a point where you can sit with these experiences, so that you are no longer distressed by them.  
By the end of the reprocessing, you will feel, think, and believe in your body, that the once distressing experiences are in the past, and not in your present.

Unlike other approaches -

• EMDR does not involve exposure, and so you do not need to relive traumatic memories in any great deal 
• EMDR is not a relaxation exercise
• EMDR is not an attempt to overpower your negative experience with cognitive challenges (altering the way you think

Find out more about Trauma and EMDR.

Chris Warren-Dickins LLB MA LPC
Psychotherapist in Ridgewood, New Jersey

www.exploretransform.com