Healing from traumatic experience & loss using EMDR & FLASH
EDNA GRUVMAN
Licensed Creative Arts Therapist specializing in EMDR & Somatic Therapy
Do you ever feel anxious, depressed, have difficulties with personal relationships, struggle with sudden emotional outbursts or find yourself held back by fears and negative beliefs?
These difficult experiences may be a result of trauma.
The symptoms of experienced trauma as either single events, multiple events and or ongoing situations, range widely from person to person.
Some of us struggle with being easily startled, feeling tense, on guard, on edge, feeling irritable and or have angry or aggressive outbursts. Others may have difficulties concentrating, or falling asleep/ staying asleep. Some of us struggle with negative thoughts about ourselves and/or the world, have exaggerated feelings of blame directed toward self or others, experience ongoing negative emotions, such as fear, anger, guilt, or shame. At times, these negative feeling states are managed by engaging in risky, reckless, and or destructive behavior.
As we manage these experiences we often lose interest in enjoyable activities, struggle with social isolation, resulting in difficulty feeling positive emotions, such as happiness or satisfaction. Often we have trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event eliciting feelings of confusion and self-doubt.
We find ourselves wondering, did this really happen?
Often, we do not realize that these lived experiences are directly related to traumatic experiences. When an event occurs that is overwhelmingly stressful or we sense that we are in danger, our bodies and minds find a way to help us survive in the moment. These coping mechanisms, in the moment, keep us safe. Unfortunately, when our bodies and or minds feel unsafe or stressed, many of the same coping mechanisms rise to the surface. These methods of coping no longer serve us as the traumatic event is in the past.
The lived experience of trauma remains in our bodies and informs us daily as we move through our lives.
Often, negative beliefs, as a result of the negative experience, are embraced in our sense of self. An important step in healing is the dismantling of these negative beliefs, recognizing how and why they have been adopted and replacing them with positive beliefs of who we are at our core.
HOW EMDR AND FLASH ARE PROVEN TO TREAT TRAUMA AND LOSS
EMDR and FLASH are evidenced-based psychotherapies that have been shown to be effective in treating
post-traumatic stress disorder.
Both the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organizations recognize EMDR and FLASH as highly effective and empirically supported treatment for PTSD
Both these modalities enable the reprocessing of traumatic memories so that the triggering experience, the felt experience, is dulled and/or eliminated and the memory is less intense and feels like it is in the past.As a result, the old coping mechanisms are not activated. New effective coping strategies/mechanisms are developed resulting in an ability to manage trauma-related symptoms, feeling states and emotions. Somatic experiences are incorporated into the work to foster increased awareness of when one is becoming activated/dysregulated.
Different skills are offered and practiced to help recognize how one’s nervous system is reacting and what you can do to calm/regulate your nervous system. One gains better insight into their trauma and its effects on their lives, leading to improved self-awareness. And, by alleviating traumatic symptoms, both techniques can contribute to an overall enhancement in the quality of life, better interpersonal relationships, and increased life satisfaction.
Want to find out more about EMDR & FLASH with EDNA?
ABOUT EDNA GRUVMAN, Licensed Creative Arts Therapist
As a Dance/Movement Therapist, Edna integrates the understanding of how our bodies hold onto stress and trauma and weaves together somatic practices with EMDR to foster healing. Edna meets her clients where they are. She integrates EMDR, FLASH, Somatic Experiencing, Mindfulness and Trauma Informed Yoga to support her clients in their healing journey.
Edna believes that with the learned ability to recognize and regulate behavioral and emotional responses and reduce the presence of distressing symptoms, individuals will be able to reach their full potential and live their lives with greater ease.