Different Approaches to Healing Traumatic Memories

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Here’s the thing about trauma, even though the event happened in the past- we work with trauma in the present moment. It causes pain in the present moment, it changes your nervous system in the present moment. The hurt isn’t just “in the past” it’s right here, in your body and emotions right now. In the last video we talked about 4 ways traumatic memories differ from regular memories. In this video we’ll cover 4 ways you can work with those memories in the present moment so they don’t bother you so much. When traumatic memories are integrated and consolidated, real healing can happen. This might look like someone being able to say “This terrible thing happened, but right now, I am safe”. And when they remember the event, they can calm their mind and body in the present moment. The memory becomes a memory instead of a flashback where they re-experience a terrible event as if it’s happening again. As we talked about in the last video traumatic memories differ from regular memories in 4 ways: They don’t naturally soften over time, they stay intense and vivid Traumatic memories are often sensory- it FEELS like the event in sights, sounds, smells. The passage of time is distorted-it feels like you’re living it over again in the present They are often fragmented, they don’t follow a sequential order, some information may be missing or blocked

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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

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