Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs when we are overwhelmed by a traumatic event.
To cope with the flood of emotions, we block off parts of the experience.
Dealing with Traumatic Stress
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Susan Cohn, MFT & LCSW
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
21710 Stevens Creek Boulevard - Suite 101
Cupertino, CA 95014-1179
(408) 257-5772
That blocked experience keeps us from being able to heal from the trauma. As a result,when we encounter something that unconsciously reminds us of the trauma, we may (without our awareness) protect ourselves by addictive behaviors, panic and anxiety or by shutting down via depression.
Examples of severe trauma are 9/11 and the Oklahoma bombing. However, many other traumas can also trigger PTSD (such as being in a robbery or a car accident)
Additionally, PTSD also occurs when we have had a severe ongoing traumatic environment (living in a war zone or being abused as a child).
I have been trained in a technique called “Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing” (EMDR) which can be very helpful for people who are trying to work through the deeper aspects of a trauma they have experienced.
In my work with EMDR I have found that what is most important to the healing process was not necessarily having to do eye movements as part of the desensitization process, I found in most cases bilateral stimulation though vibration was quite effective.
If you would like to find out more about how EMDR works please feel free to call me at (408) 257-5772 or to email me.