Heal From Childhood Trauma

Time Does Not Heal All Wounds

If you experienced abuse as a child then you are not alone! We work with many adults who have been abused as children and help them heal from the deep wounds of childhood trauma. Research shows that approximately 20% of all adults are survivors of one or more types of childhood abuse including physical, sexual, emotional and neglect. Trauma in general, often happens in relationships. This can be distressing no matter what the age of the person experiencing trauma, but even more life-changing if the trauma happened in childhood.

EMDR therapy is extremely effective in treating adults who have experienced childhood trauma. Even though the past can’t be erased, EMDR therapy can help you process the traumatic memories which affect you today so that the past does not affect you as it once did. EMDR therapy is useful in targeting the disturbing memories that have created negative thoughts about yourself, flashbacks, body sensations and negative feelings of sadness, loss, anger or shame. After the childhood trauma memories are reprocessed clients can remember it but they don’t feel the same old emotions or sensations. The memories won’t feel as distressing and the client will have a more adaptive and healthy view of themselves.

There are long lasting effects both physical and emotional to adults who suffered abuse as children. You can take the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) questionnaire to determine your risk factor for health concerns related to your childhood trauma experiences by clicking here.

Childhood Abuse and Neglect

Children can be traumatized by any experience that overwhelms them. If the experience is too much for the child and their internal resources then they can be traumatized. Children can be traumatized in many different ways, not just through abuse or neglect. They can be effected by divorce, inconsistent parenting, narcissistic parents, bullied at school, humiliated by peers, medical trauma and repeated disappointments. Theses experiences cause long lasting negative effects and can lead to low self esteem, depression and unhappiness as an adult.

“It’s not what’s wrong with you, it’s what happened to you.” – Dr. Bruce Perry

Deep healing is possible for survivors of childhood abuse. Our therapists combine EMDR therapy with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and “parts work.” IFS is built on the idea that we all have parts of ourselves that hold burdens (or carry wounds) and we each have the Self which holds inherent wisdom and healing energy to mend our scars. IFS combined with EMDR helps to heal the deep scars of being betrayed and abused by parents or caregivers. The trauma caused by parental abuse and neglect can be some of the most difficult to heal from and the most life impacting trauma a person can experience. With IFS and EMDR therapy it is possible to heal from the far reaching wounds of relational trauma and the feelings of shame that often goes with it.

Early Trauma Protocol (ETP)

Our therapists have been trained to use a special EMDR protocol called the Early Trauma Protocol (ETP) by Katie Oshea M.S. and Sandra Paulsen Ph.D. to work with individuals who experienced childhood trauma and were abused and/or neglected in early childhood between the ages of birth to 3. When we experience abuse and or neglect before the age of three we do not have explicit memories. Because the brain is developing it is not able to remember exactly what happened to us. At that age memory is stored in the right hemisphere and is not subject to direct recall. Many people will have a “felt sense” of what they experienced at a young age. They might also know of stories that they were told by parents, siblings or other adults in their lives.

ETP Process

Trauma in young children is stored in a “baby state” in which there are no images or thoughts about the trauma, just a felt sense of terror, abandonment, hurt or shame that never seems to go away. Babies absorb everything around them including their mother, father, and environment. This includes the relationship template from those caring for them and becomes embedded into their body including their cells and muscle tissue.

With the Early Trauma Protocol we start by resetting the affective or emotional circuits. When babies and young children don’t feel safe to express or show emotions then the emotions can be stopped or dysfunctionally stored. We use a form of EMDR therapy to help clients to feel and express their emotions in a healthy way. Then we target the childhood trauma by developmental time frames using a felt sense of trauma or what the client has heard of their early childhood experiences. In this process we review the trauma material, then use EMDR therapy with a bilateral tapping method to release the trauma. Next, we use a reparative process which allows the client to imagine what they needed but didn’t get, and then help the client to install positive thoughts or beliefs about that time period