The body remembers: Early trauma and EMDR

We do not have explicit memories of events early in our lives. The experiences early in life, even before birth, are stored as implicit memory in the body and the brain. Early trauma can have an immense impact on the development of the brain. It effects self-regulation, self-image and the capacity for having relationships. Early interactions between mother (also father) and child influences the development of the stress system in the young child on a behavioral and physiological level. A safe attachment in early childhood can be helpful to handle stressful situations in adulthood, whereas fear and uncertainty early in life can increase the (early) attachment needs, such as love, affection and trust. How to detect the early traumatic experiences in our clients and how to treat them with EMDR, both in children as in adults will be illustrated with clinical vignettes and video's.

Jacqueline Janssen

Janssen, J. (2016, June). The body remembers: Early trauma and EMDR. Presentation at the at the 17th EMDR Europe Association Conference, The Hague