If you are a military vet living with Post Traumatic Stress, the following scenario may resonate:
Imagine you are walking down the street and suddenly, “bang”, a car backfires. You are immediately flooded with images of battle, your body is hypervigilant, you may even jump in front of the person you are walking on the sidewalk with to protect them. Perhaps you dart back and forth, looking for cover. You are sweating. Your palms are wet. You are tense.
But why? It was just a car back firing. You now realize it was just a car and start to feel shame, possibly weak or bad?
These are all normal reactions and are part of living with unresolved post-traumatic stress.
Behind the scenes there is a little almond shaped part of your brain called your amygdala. In the above scenario, your amygdala did its job when you heard the car backfiring. Like the smoke detector in your house, it is always scanning for possible danger. And your story informs what your amygdala is tuned to get your body to react to. Imagine for one moment that the backfire was a real danger and not just a car. All your reactions would have likely saved you.
So, before you feel shame or defective, lets re-frame what just happened. What happened is that your body worked just the way it was supposed to. Loud noise, body senses noise, amygdala alerts and scans your history (your trauma story) and your body goes into action to protect you from what, in that moment, it thought was a real danger, a weapon.
Just like a smoke detector will sound to alert your family to danger if it senses smoke or a full fledge fire, your amygdala is doing its job. What we will do in therapy is utilize EMDR therapy for PTSD by teaching your brain, through the power of neuroplasticity, that your past (your story) is past. That no longer do loud bangs and cars backfiring need to equal “I am in danger.” The result will be less reactivity, less flooding, more freedom. You will begin to feel less shame and more whole. This won’t happen immediately, but will.
I have worked with other veterans finally feel whole.
In addition to trauma therapy for PTSD, we will also integrate mindfulness, breathwork and coping skills to help alleviate distress and help balance your nervous system. We will work discovering who you are.
Jordan Nodelman, LCSW is an EMDR Certified (by EMDRIA) therapist. He is also an EMDR Consultant-in-Training (by EMDRIA), offering EMDR therapy and EMDR consultation.
The practice is physically located in Wilton Manors Counseling and we offer virtual EMDR in Virginia, Virtual EMDR in Washington DC and Virtual therapy in Florida. Broward County EMDR Therapist.
We accept some insurances and also accept private pay. You can use your In-Network Benefits or Out of Network benefits.
Blog is Copyright, Jordan Nodelman, LCSW 2023 (please email for permission to reprint at jordan@jnodelmanlcsw.com).
