Trauma and traumatic experiences can have an overwhelming effect on the brain and nervous system. In fact, research by Dr Gabor Matè and other leaders in the field of trauma, has shown that the traumatic events themselves are not what causes the lasting effects of trauma, but our inability to process the experience.

Our ability to process a traumatic event is dependent on whether we have the emotional support, internal resources (such as a solid foundation of self-esteem and belief that we are loved), and physical ability to protect ourselves or find safety in the moment or after the event.

This is why childhood trauma often stays with us long into adulthood, because we are so dependent on others for safety and to help us regulate through traumatic experiences. We usually have not developed a solid sense of self yet either.

As a child you cannot protect yourself from many traumatic experiences or harms, and if the people you rely on to protect you are the same people who are harming you, this can be even more overwhelming to the nervous system and lead to more extreme symptoms of trauma.

Talking therapies can sometimes be difficult for people who have experienced trauma. This is because it can activate the neural networks that store the emotional charge of the experience in your memory and nervous system. It can sometimes make it feel like reliving the original event which can be re-traumatising or too triggering for some people.

The good thing about EMDR therapies, is that while we do some talking, it is not necessary to analyse or go into too much detail about specific events.

Using bilateral brain stimulation (the left-right eye movement, audio signals or tapping), helps you to stay grounded in the present while activating the different neural networks in your brain that can help process emotional experiences and consolidate memories in a more neutral way.