Life doesn’t stop. That means your body and mind are constantly bombarded with stressors and various forms of trauma. Over time, the stressors and trauma can build and bubble over if not addressed. However, there will be signs that help is needed. But people don’t always want to ask for help, especially men. This blog post will describe why it’s important to restore your well-being with EMDR therapy near Pleasant Prairie, WI.
Life Doesn’t Give Breaks
Some kids have phenomenal childhoods. Other children have childhoods that are marred by neglect, a dysfunctional home, or bullying. But life doesn’t stop there. As men grow, we are continually exposed to many different forms of stress and trauma throughout life. Some of us will experience betrayal trauma in a significant relationship, the loss of someone close, or witness a divorce. All of these experiences have the potential to dysregulate the nervous system, impact the body, and affect how we navigate life. As we age, it’s possible to experience a family member developing a chronic illness, child loss, infertility challenges, or witnessing a horrific automobile accident. The stress and trauma life throws at us doesn’t quit, which makes healing paramount.
Stress and Trauma Build Overtime
Most men experience a single stressor or traumatic event at some point in their lives. Others will be exposed to multiple single traumatic experiences over time. These single experiences can become layered and more tightly ingrained within the body if not healed. Here’s an example, anxiety appears in someone’s life a few weeks after a fall. As time passes, the anxiety response may become associated with fear. Thus, whenever that person feels fear (before giving a speech, trying something new, or being alone in silence), the body will move into a threat response. Check out the blog post on Polyvagal Theory to read more about how our nervous system assesses threats in today’s environment.
Neurobiology of Stress and Trauma on the Body
Stress and trauma affect the body. Babies and kids exposed to these events may develop portions of their brains that are both larger and smaller than kids’ brains who were not exposed to stress and trauma. Because of these brain changes, some kids may develop faster reactive and impulsive behaviors as their nervous system struggles to regulate itself. Stress and trauma at any age can expose the human body to large amounts of cortisol, epinephrine, and adrenaline, as the body’s primary goal is self-preservation. This can lead to fatigue and/or chronic illnesses later in life. By following this link here, you can read more about the neurobiological effects of trauma on the brain.
Why Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy is Important for Healing
EMDR therapy works on multiple fronts. It helps to heal the body and regulate the nervous system, which often becomes dysregulated after stressful or traumatic events. Healing the body first allows for the negative, self-critical, or demoralizing thoughts to shift to healthier, more adaptive forms of thinking. EMDR therapy tends to bring about a sense of internal peace and calm throughout the body.
Best EMDR Therapist Near Pleasant Prairie
Give your body the space and attention it needs to heal from the past. At Revitalize Mental Health PLLC, I use EMDR therapy to help you improve the quality of your life and let go of the past. Â I provide in-person therapy sessions for those in the Southern Milwaukee, WI area and online therapy throughout both Wisconsin and Colorado. Follow this link here to submit an online form or call 720.295.6703 to start healing.