EMDR and Trauma Therapy in Gig Harbor

For years we have had only one category to describe trauma—Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which does not fit many of life’s traumas for individuals struggling with traumas from childhood or those still inside of trauma, such as domestic violence (DV) cases.

Developmental trauma, complex trauma or single incident traumas are better categories to define the vast array of trauma presentations. Depending on the type of trauma, the treatment modalities might alter slightly including length of time a client may work towards recovery, but science is continuing to refine and understand the nuances of how traumas affect the psyche of its victims.

Critical in the recovery process of trauma is the therapeutic relationship the client establishes with the therapist, which means building a deep level of trust, a dynamic that is difficult for most trauma clients.

Some clients experience the feelings of dissociation, which has taken on a broad definition to include emotional detachment, loss of affect, depersonalization and/or derealization, or an altered state of consciousness in the moment, which can again be defined into additional categories.

As additional research continues to investigate the processes of EMDR, its effectiveness is being understood to cross over into other mental health disorders such as depression, grief and loss, somatic disorders and more.

There are other methods of treating trauma, which can be combined with EMDR techniques and is something I do frequently with my clients.