Trauma in itself is not an easy experience for a person to go through. These experiences can fall under three main types: acute, chronic, or complex.
The first, acute trauma, stems from a single encounter. Next, chronic trauma is a singular event that occurs over time. Finally, complex or complicated trauma, results from multiple traumatic events or exposure to varying occurrences.
Complicated traumas are difficult to escape from, and those who have lived through such experiences have a more challenging time finding peace and coping. More often than not, extensive measures to repair and heal are required for this category of trauma.
How Complicated Trauma Works
A complicated trauma experience typically starts in childhood. Since children haven’t reached a point of full development, these experiences can become dissociation or somatization as adolescence and adulthood progresses.
Your mind and body are intelligent beings of their own and have a way of remembering what you have been through. Experiencing a complicated trauma can linger and cause your body to be in a constant state of fight or flight. As you age, your natural tendency is to avoid things that cause you pain—specifically, your trauma experiences.
Enter in EMDR
EMDR is a method used by therapists to assist people in processing and healing from their trauma experiences. It incorporates a deep dive into various memory tracts and bilateral stimulation through eye movement and a physical stimulus.
It has been proven successful for PTSD and other trauma and mental health disorders. The use of EMDR therapy works by incorporating both hemispheres of the brain. Your subconscious and conscious parts of your brain interact to process your personal traumas. For proper use with complicated traumas, an EMDR approach may need to undergo a few modifications.
Accounting for Time
The use of EMDR during therapy sessions is more time-consuming than other methods. That goes for treating more acute or simple issues. An important part of its success is through building rapport, taking the time to trace memories back, and establishing healthy coping skills.
With complicated trauma, there is much more intertwined and more deeply rooted negative experience. The traditional length of time may need to be extended to correlate with the severity of the trauma. There is simply more content to explore.
Accommodations for Amount of Memories
With EMDR, your therapist guides you through a routine to process memories, feelings, and experiences. You initially hone in on one, work through that, then move on to the next. The movement to process a single memory can be reasonably quick. Similarly, the number of memories needing to be processed may be small.
With more complicated trauma, each memory could take more time to work through. It may require more stimulation and possibly multiple sessions. Since complicated trauma stems from multiple occurrences over a longer period of time, there can be many negative memories to address before being fully healed.
Extra Care and Awareness of Disassociation
Anyone who has experienced complicated trauma is more likely to place high walls up to guard themselves against pain and suffering. Unfortunately, disassociating from those harmful memories isn’t uncommon. It’s a means to cope, albeit an unhealthy one.
Any disassociation or dysregulation behavior patterns will need to be addressed before diving into the full treatment process. You need to own your experiences to process and heal from them.
Seeking Professional Help
Research has shown EMDR to be an effective treatment approach. Just as no two people are the same, not all traumas are the same. Complex or complicated trauma is more specialized than an acute type.
If you’ve experienced complicated trauma and are interested in exploring the benefits of EMDR, contact us today for more information.
Learn more about EMDR therapy in Colorado. Serving Boulder, Longmont, Denver.
