Most people will experience trauma in their lifetime whether it’s a car accident, abuse or neglect, the sudden death of a loved one, a violent criminal act, exposure to the violence of war, or a natural disaster. While many people can recover from trauma over time with the love and support of family and friends and bounce back with resiliency, others may discover effects of lasting trauma, which can cause a person to live with deep emotional pain, fear, confusion, or posttraumatic stress far after the event has passed. In these circumstances, the support, guidance, and assistance of a therapist is fundamental to healing from trauma.

Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is a manualized, trauma-specific intervention developed to treat trauma spectrum disorders in survivors of complex and multiple traumas, particularly those impacted by war and organized political violence. NET was developed as a short-term approach based on testimony therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. 
NET works by putting into context all of the associated elements of the fear network that often become fragmented during a traumatic event. These elements include the emotional, sensory, somatic, and cognitive memories. NET allows these fragmented memories to be put into a coherent narrative, and allow for understanding and processing of the traumatic memory over the course of the survivor’s lifespan.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from different treatment approaches. EMDR therapy is an integrative psychotherapy and uses a technique called bilateral stimulation to repeatedly activate opposite sides of the brain. Therapists often use eye movements to facilitate the bilateral stimulation. These eye movements mimic the period of sleep referred to as rapid eye movement or REM sleep, and this portion of sleep is frequently considered to be the time when the mind processes the recent events in the person’s life.

Telehealth offers flexibility and accessibility to many people throughout the community. We currently offer teletherapy services throughout California. I use a web-based, HIPAA-compliant platform called Theranest.