Resolving trauma and achieving peace
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I work with people who are troubled by anxiety, depression and stress, using a number of methods, including EMDR and Somatic Experiencing.
I am more and more impressed by the way these techniques can help unblock the stuck places in our lives. As well as using them to 'debug' disturbing memories, I use them to help you access your resources, in order to maximise the chances of better experiences in the future. In addition to EMDR and SE, I have a Jungian orientation, and I'm trained in Gestalt therapy. All that means that whatever methods we use to address trauma in your life, we won't be doing it in a cold and clinical way. We'll be integrating it into the larger story of your life, and the larger reality of who you truly are. What does 'trauma' mean anyway? An event doesn't have to be a "Big T Trauma" such as an earthquake, a war or an assault, to have a traumatic effect. Especially when we are children, events that seem small to others can have a lasting effect. Being isolated or bullied, being picked on or spoken to harshly, scary and painful medical procedures, moving house, listening to parents fight--these are some of the normal life events that can leave a traumatic trace. Those traumatic traces can cause us to unconsciously believe things about ourselves, such as that we are worthless, or unlovable, or bad. And those beliefs affect our ability to live a fulfilling, happy life. Critical incidents, aka "something awful happened" I also work with 'critical incidents'. These are the "Big T Traumas": terrible events that cause PTSD. People with PTSD experience anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, panic, and other symptoms, because the event gets stuck in their memory, like a bone that can't be swallowed. But there is hope--modern trauma therapy techniques can help you get past PTSD. How does EMDR work? EMDR therapy aims to light up the neural network in your brain that has stored the traumatic memory, and reprocess it. After reprocessing, you will still have the visual part of the memory, but without the fear or anger or other strong feelings that used to be stored with it. You'll also be freed from the negative beliefs about yourself that formed around your experiences--especially if they happened in childhood. How does Somatic Experiencing work? SE releases traumatic shock, and flight/flight reactions that are held in the body, in a very gentle, natural way, so that you can reconnect with feelings of ease and safety. If you think trauma is affecting your life, and are interested in this form of therapy, call me for a free consultation. |
I volunteer for the First Responder Support Network, which works with first responders, including police officers, fire-fighters, paramedics, dispatchers and CHP. FRSN runs the West Coast Trauma Retreat, which helps these people recover from stress, trauma and PTSD. Part of that retreat involves EMDR treatment with volunteer clinicians. If you know a first responder who needs help, please refer them to the FRSN website.
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Rachael Vaughan MA, MFT # 50730: Depth Psychotherapy and EMDR in San Francisco and Marin, for individuals and couples, in English and French
