WEBVTT

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All kinds of things in everyday life can trigger a traumatic memory and create stress.

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All kinds of things in everyday life can trigger a traumatic memory and create stress.

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Specific places, loud noises, large crowds . . .

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. . . even everyday things at your home.

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The thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations
you had during your trauma

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can affect how
you feel, act, and think today.

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So, how do you reduce the stress caused by
these memories?

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One form of talk therapy that has proven effective
for treating PTSD is

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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
--- or E M D R ---

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Memories can be made up of many images and
related feelings, and EMDR helps you reprocess

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the trauma --- to experience it in a different way.

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EMDR starts with history taking. This involves
describing important life events and the trauma

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you want to work on, as well as your treatment
goals. You’ll learn ways to manage your anxiety too.

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Your therapist will ask you to look back
at the trauma and think,

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What negative thought about yourself do
you have from that experience?

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What would you like to believe
about yourself going forward?

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How bad does it feel to you right now?

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You’ll start processing a memory from
there. Your therapist will have you move your

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eyes back and forth while you think about
the trauma and those related feelings.

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During this phase, new and useful information
comes up – and old, painful thoughts, memories,

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and feelings fade and become less distressing.
At the end of processing, you’ll look back

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at the positive beliefs that you want to have
about yourself. Processing is over when these

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positive beliefs feel true to you and there
are no unpleasant sensations in your body.

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This phase of treatment may take several sessions

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You may also work through more than one traumatic memory before treatment is over.

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EMDR doesn’t require you to take medication.
With your therapist’s help, you’ll follow

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a step-by-step program for about three months.
Most people who’ve completed EMDR show noticeable

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improvement in their symptoms, and many no
longer have PTSD. EMDR works well for both

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men and women, and it’s evidence-based,
which means EMDR has been proven to work in

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multiple research studies.
If EMDR sounds like it could be right for you,

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talk to your doctor about finding an EMDR provider.
Or, visit the National Center for PTSD website at

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www.PTSD.VA.GOV to learn
more about EMDR and other PTSD treatments.

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No matter how long you’ve been living with
PTSD, know that you can get better.