Emerging from the depths of despair with the help of EMDR
Description
I am the mother of the murdered British schoolgirl Milly Dowler. My thirteen year old daughter Milly was abducted and murdered in March 2002. Her body lay undiscovered for six months during which time I literally felt on the brink of insanity and fought to stay sane.
As time moved on I continued to face many challenges including the police investigation and the intense media interest. It transpired that the man responsible for Milly's abduction, who was eventually convicted for Milly’s murder, had also killed two other girls after murdering Milly. The trial of Milly’s murderer in May 2011 was a deeply traumatic experience.
In December 2012 I hit an ‘all time low’ and I was subsequently referred for EMDR psychotherapy. My presentation is a narrative of my experiences as a mother profoundly traumatised by Milly's death, dealing with the significant media attention that came to bear upon me and my family, how it significantly impacted upon my own mental health and well-being, and how EMDR has helped me to slowly start to emerge from such utter grief and despair.
As time moved on I continued to face many challenges including the police investigation and the intense media interest. It transpired that the man responsible for Milly's abduction, who was eventually convicted for Milly’s murder, had also killed two other girls after murdering Milly. The trial of Milly’s murderer in May 2011 was a deeply traumatic experience.
In December 2012 I hit an ‘all time low’ and I was subsequently referred for EMDR psychotherapy. My presentation is a narrative of my experiences as a mother profoundly traumatised by Milly's death, dealing with the significant media attention that came to bear upon me and my family, how it significantly impacted upon my own mental health and well-being, and how EMDR has helped me to slowly start to emerge from such utter grief and despair.
Format
Conference
Language
English
Original Work Citation
Dowler, S. (2014, June). Emerging from the depths of despair with the help of EMDR. Keynote presentation at the 15th EMDR Europe Association Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland
Citation
“Emerging from the depths of despair with the help of EMDR,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed May 4, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/22867.