Trauma Therapy: Part Two
The journey continues
Hello Restless Ones,
I hope you’re having a stellar week — it is SCORCHIO here in the UK! Which means anything above 20 degrees C, but seriously it’s 28C. That is like middle-of-the-earth hot for British people.
The kids are mostly naked all day every day here at home, and I’m resisting following (birthday) suit.
OK. So. To this week’s post… book recommendations one week and trauma therapy next eh? Life sure is like a box of chocolates and so is this newsletter, apparently.
Time to catch you up on on the EMDR therapy journey. I’m feeling rather sick before pressing send on this one but hey ho. Discomfort, here we go. And this is where I’m grateful for the paywall so that I can squirrel deeply personal posts like this away behind it.
A heads up it might be sensitive for anyone who’s experienced loss or birth trauma.
Thanks to all of you for being here.
Big love,
Anna xx
Trauma Therapy: Part Two
I’m feeling nervous but excited when I go into Joyce’s studio for the second session of EMDR. Nervous because I’m going to have to force myself to open up to a relative stranger. And there are some thoughts I have about Jupiter’s birth that I’m not sure I can say out loud. Because a little voice in my head tells me they’re too silly or too shameful.
But I have deliberately picked a very experienced therapist. She’s been in practice for decades, so I remind myself that nothing I’m going to say to her will shock her. She’s not going to think I’m weird. Or crazy. She’s not going to think anything in fact, except how she can help me. I hope.
I go in to the studio, kick off my shoes and settle down on the green sofa.
Although this is only my second visit, I immediately feel comfortable. As if Joyce’s studio is a space where I can leave the world and my worries at the door (and my phone locked in the car) and be here for the work that needs to be done.
A large part of the first session is about what Joyce calls ‘resourcing’ — she goes over some techniques for dealing with overwhelming emotions. She also helps me to create a ‘happy place’ in my mind. Somewhere I can go if I need to feel safe as I process the difficult memories.
My inner psychology geek LOVES the resourcing stuff, but it’s a tad niche, so I’ve popped those resourcing bits here in a separate post for anyone who wants a read.
After the resourcing is done, Joyce sits back and says,
‘OK Anna, you seem very in your body. Very much in your life. I can’t see any dissociation going on there, so let’s get started with the EMDR….
What’s the most upsetting memory you have of the day the Jupiter was born?’ Joyce asks and I think blimey, she’s not messing about. We’re getting right in there.