Bringing meaning to life….
Difficult partnership, neglecting parents, bullying at school, demanding relatives, failures…. all these factors influence what individuals think of themselves and can be perceived subjectively as very traumatic. If not processed by the brain and packed as memories, they might intensively influence abilities to cope, attachment styles and emotional responses. It happens due to the fact that traumatic experiences, which are too difficult for the developing brain to be dealt with, are stored in our brain and get activated each time a person is exposed to similar distress, causing inadequate to situation reactions. Important to mention, that such activation is unconscious and can impair significantly well-being. Perceived symptoms like outbursts, restlessness, emotional deregulation, depression or anxiety are therefore often results of unprocessed traumas experienced during early developmental years. In order to function with such difficult baggage, one tends to develop mechanisms of coping, which might be also maladaptive and result in further distress. Such vicious circle may impair normal functioning, learning, sleeping patterns or decrease meaning of life. Hence, trauma informed approach, allow not only to address the symptoms, but also to uncover roots of distress.
One way to provide trauma-based therapy is EMDR intervention, which helps to remove manifestation of past experiences from the here and now moment. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and as therapeutic technique, it incorporates eye movement or other types of bipolar stimulation, in order to encourage brain to process distressing information. Processing of the disturbing events aids in removal of their emotional weight from present time and hence support healing. Also, EMDR decreases unnecessary activated constant state of alertness and helps in acceptance, compassion and resiliency building. Despite the fact that EMDR has been developed and shown efficacy in treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, it is also showing promising results in addressing trauma of complex and prolonged character, eating disorders, substance addiction, anxiety and depression.
With recent development in the field of psychology but also neuroscience and neuroimaging it is now confirmed that there is no clear cut between what’s cognitive, physiological and emotional and all these three dimensions are interconnected. Out therapist – Magdalena is therefore, engaging client to work in collaborative manner while providing holistic, eclectic approach which blends EMDR trauma oriented intervention with typical talk therapy addressing irrational believes and disturbing thoughts, simultaneously practicing mindfulness techniques for the clients to develop abilities of self-regulation and relaxation.
If one is able to separate from past traumas, the life here and now becomes more meaningful….
Magdalena Mosanya
