Early Trauma Protocol (ETP) – Healing from Childhood Trauma
The Early Trauma Protocol (ETP) is a specialized EMDR-based approach designed to work with individuals who experienced abuse, neglect, or relational trauma in early childhood—typically between birth and age three. I have advanced training in this protocol, developed by Katie O’Shea, MS, and Sandra Paulsen, PhD.
When trauma occurs before the age of three, the brain has not yet developed the capacity for explicit memory. Because early experiences are stored primarily in the right hemisphere, they are not accessible through conscious recall. Instead, these experiences are often held as a felt sense—a persistent emotional or bodily experience rather than a clear memory.
Clients may sense what they experienced emotionally or physically, or may rely on stories shared by parents, siblings, or other caregivers to understand what occurred during this early developmental period.
Early Trauma Protocol (ETP) Process
Trauma experienced in infancy or early childhood is often stored in a “baby state,” without images or verbal thoughts. What remains is a felt experience—such as fear, abandonment, shame, or distress—that can continue into adulthood and affect emotional regulation, relationships, and self-perception.
Using the Early Trauma Protocol, therapy begins by addressing and resetting affective (emotional) circuits. When young children do not feel safe expressing emotions, those emotions may become suppressed or stored in maladaptive ways. EMDR techniques are used to help clients safely access and express emotions that were previously unavailable or overwhelming.
Trauma is then targeted by developmental time frames, using the client’s felt sense or known information about early experiences. EMDR bilateral stimulation—often through gentle tapping—is used to release stored trauma responses.
The process includes a reparative phase, allowing clients to imagine and internalize what they needed but did not receive during early development. Positive beliefs and adaptive emotional responses are then installed to support healing and integration.
This approach to processing developmental trauma can be deeply effective, particularly for individuals experiencing long-standing symptoms that have not responded to traditional therapy.
Healing Early Trauma Is Possible
If you have struggled with persistent emotional patterns, relationship challenges, or a sense of distress without clear memories, early developmental trauma may be a contributing factor. The Early Trauma Protocol offers a gentle, body-based approach to healing.
Vancouver EMDR Therapy PLLC
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