When the past haunts the present: An EMDR story

Sometimes trauma settles deeply in the mind and body and wreaks a kind of clandestine subterranean warfare, turning the body against itself and manifesting strange, frightening, disabling, and even life-threatening symptoms. Sophie's trauma simmered for 16 years, making her life difficult but still mostly manageable. Suddenly, however, she was waylaid as her trauma metastasized into something infinitely more dangerous. A long torturous course through emergency rooms and various specialists eventually ended up on a therapist's couch, holding an oscillating paddle in each hand, walking directly into the mindscape of her mother's death. Links EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/emdr-taking-a-closer-look/ Video explaining fight/flight (sympathetic nervous system) vs freeze (parasympathetic nervous system) and their roles in PTSD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6M1FumqeyM The parasympathetic (freeze) response is tied to allergic and asthmatic reactions https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4039300/ Dr. H https://www.craigheacockmd.com Support the show