THERAPY
One on one psychotherapy was and is at the forefront of my understanding, processing and healing from the trauma of child abuse.
If possible, to have an extremely knowledgable, experienced, compassionate and motivational PROFESSIONAL to guide one through the vulnerable, frightening, complex, unpredictable, and profound journey from child abuse VICTIM to SURVIVOR to THRIVER is of indispensable benefit. To have a professional third party, someone who's life, yours does not effect and someone who truly understands (very few people will) what you are going through and what it is that you need to heal is such an important element to the healing journey.
Below are some Psychotherapeutic techniques I have found incredibly helpful.
*These techniques are not only useful for survivors of child abuse but anybody who has experienced any level of any trauma can also receive immense benefit from them.
E.M.D.R
E.M.D.R. = EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING
E.M.D.R. is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. E.M.D.R. is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. To date, E.M.D.R. has helped millions of people of all ages relieve many types of psychological stress.
“My personal experience with E.M.D.R. has been extremely profound. When my Los Angeles therapist first explained it to me he used the following analogy, “If we cut our hand, our body immediately goes to work, knowing exactly what to do in order to heal the wound. Our brain and body have the same capability and can find the connections to the sources of our pain, if given the space and support to do so. E.M.D.R. helps the mind and body tap into that natural mechanism and turbo boosts it.” I have made connections and healed wounds with the help of E.M.D.R. that I believe I may never have with conventional TALK THERAPY alone.”
SOMATIC EXPERIENCING
SOMATIC EXPERIENCING (SE™) is a potent psychobiological method for resolving trauma symptoms and relieving chronic stress. It is the life's work of Dr. Peter A. Levine, resulting from his multidisciplinary study of stress physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics, together with over 45 years of successful clinical application. The SE approach releases traumatic shock, which is key to transforming PTSD and the wounds of emotional and early developmental attachment trauma.
SE teaches that trauma is not caused by the event itself, but rather develops through the failure of the body, psyche, and nervous system to process adverse events. SE facilitates the completion of self-protective motor responses and the release of thwarted survival energy bound in the body, thus addressing the root cause of trauma symptoms. This is approached by gently guiding clients to develop increasing tolerance for difficult bodily sensations and suppressed emotions.
“Somatic Experiencing helped me to realize that trauma LIVES IN THE BODY and that sometimes the body is the most potent access point for healing. It has enabled me to find and release traumatic emotions that without this technique, might have plagued me for the rest of my life. I have found SE in combination with E.M.D.R. to be a powerful and expedient healing combination.”