EMDR Therapy: Healing the Unspoken
EMDR Therapy: Healing the Unspoken
Written by: Elizabeth Yoak, LMHC
You feel anxious, on edge, and overwhelmed. This persistent feeling has left you filled with self-doubt and uncertainty in your relationships, at work, and even during your leisure time. You’re unsure why you feel this way and have tried to cope with it. You may have an awareness of going through difficult life events earlier in life, but no specific memories come to mind.
Earlier life events that occur before language development, starting from in utero and onward, can have lasting impacts if our nervous system was dysregulated or we did not have the capacity to process it at the time. Some of these events you may not even think of as a trauma. Significant family changes such as moving or loss, financial strain, and high-stress situations while pregnant are just a few examples of events that can take a toll in these preverbal years.
Often, these earlier life experiences impact us more than we would anticipate. Preverbal events can have a profound effect and cause unexplained anxieties, lingering emotional distress, and disrupted interpersonal patterns. By addressing these earlier experiences, you may find relief from the often perplexing array of challenges that these events can produce.
Defining Preverbal Trauma
Preverbal trauma refers to distressing experiences or events that occurred before an individual had developed the ability to share those experiences through language. This can manifest in different ways. Even while in utero, different events can affect us in ways we don’t recognize or remember. Some examples of this are if your mother was under a high amount of stress during the pregnancy, was grieving the loss of a loved one or a previous miscarriage, or if the birth was traumatic.
After birth, life events continue to impact us before we have the language to express this. Examples of this may be due to medical concerns, leading to prolonged separation from parents, or a long period of hospitalization. Witnessing ongoing conflict and tension between parents can take a toll as well, at any age. If a parent or both parents were preoccupied by significant family events (ex. grief/loss) or significant life changes or if you had a sibling that needed a high amount of attention/care, these events also have the potential to negatively impact you.
Impact of Preverbal Trauma
Preverbal trauma can have a lasting effect on mental health. It can be likened to a silent storm, causing individuals to struggle with unexplained anxiety, self-doubt, and emotional pain, often without fully understanding the source of their inner turmoil.
The remnants of these early experiences, though unspoken, continue to impact emotional well-being long after they have occurred. Preverbal trauma can silently shape an individual's emotions, influencing their relationships, behaviors, and overall well-being.
These early traumas may impact the foundation of how individuals form and maintain relationships, often leading to patterns of insecure attachment or difficulty in trusting others. Early unprocessed traumas can lay the groundwork for challenges in emotional intimacy and connection throughout their lives.
EMDR Therapy
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is an evidence-based approach designed to help individuals process and heal from the emotional distress associated with past traumas. It utilizes a structured protocol that integrates bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements and tapping, to assist individuals in reprocessing traumatic memories.
EMDR can produce substantial benefits by enabling individuals to reduce the emotional charge of distressing experiences and create positive shifts in cognition, ultimately promoting healing and well-being. This approach enables the ability to get to the root cause of distress and alleviate it at the source, rather than focusing solely on alleviating surface-level symptoms.
EMDR Preverbal Trauma Protocol
Because of the unique nature of preverbal traumas, a specialized approach is needed. The preverbal protocol of EMDR is tailored to meet the needs of processing traumas in this time period before the individual has developed the language to express their emotions and memories. Through targeted techniques and bilateral stimulation, this protocol aims to process and heal these early traumas, helping individuals find resolution and relief from their lingering effects.
In the preverbal trauma protocol, there is a stronger emphasis on tapping into body sensation and emotion, as these earlier experiences are typically held in the body rather than being a memory you can directly recall and describe with cognition and imagery. Through this approach, individuals are guided to hold their present-day, adult perspective while revisiting preverbal memories.
By using dual attention in EMDR to focus on both the past and the present, a transformative experience occurs where the past is processed and integrated with the present. This allows the individual to gradually bridge the gap between their past and present selves, producing adaptive changes in their emotional responses.
Addressing preverbal trauma is vital in helping to resolve emotional wounds that can continue to influence an individual's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors long into adulthood. The EMDR preverbal trauma protocol paves the way for individuals to heal, grow, and thrive, without being burdened by the effects of their unspoken past. By addressing the impact of unspoken trauma, this specialized approach not only provides hope but a tangible path to peace and a renewed sense of self.
Ready to start your healing journey?
Our counselors at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando are here to help. Our highly trained team specializes in EMDR therapy and can help you pave a path forward to healing from preverbal trauma. To get started with one of our counselors:
Fill out our New Client Consultation Form
Schedule a consultation call with our Client Care Coordinator
Start your with EMDR Therapy.
Additional Resources for EMDR Therapy
EMDR Therapy for Trauma-Related Brain Injuries
EMDR Therapy Orlando for a Recent Trauma
Orlando Therapist Explains How EMDR Therapy Works
Orlando Therapist Explains What to Expect in EMDR Therapy
Orlando Therapist Answers the Question - What is EMDR Therapy?
Is EMDR Therapy Right for You?
Types of Counseling: What is EMDR?
Additional Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando
The Mindful Living Counseling provides a variety of counseling services to help you overcome challenges beyond EMDR Therapy. We offer various therapy options, including Toxic Relationship Therapy, Anxiety Therapy, and Teen Therapy.
Anxiety Therapist: Elizabeth Yoak
Elizabeth Yoak, LMHC specializes in helping teens with anxiety, trauma, self-esteem, and stress for a happier life. When Elizabeth isn't busy with work, she loves spending quality time with her loved ones, exploring new places, and taking leisurely walks with her furry best friend.