Losing a parent young is always a traumatic experience for a child and may cause serious, long-term emotional struggles. Thankfully, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR therapy, can help young children struggling with anxiety by providing their therapists with a better understanding of what is wrong and making it easier for them to get help. This technique has become an effective and beneficial way to help young children manage their trauma.
How EMDR Helps Children With Parent-Loss Trauma
EMDR therapy focuses on eye movements and the ways they're used to process memories. Specifically, it states that traumatic memories aren't always processed properly in the mind, which can lead to them recurring in flashbacks, nightmares, and feelings of dread. A child who just lost their parent may worry about losing both parents, their current caregiver, or others in their family. They may also continually replay the memory in their head and struggle to accept it.
To get over this hurdle, a therapist asks the child to focus on the traumatic memory and then perform side-to-side eye movements while thinking about it. This concept is called bilateral stimulation and it activates both sides of the child's mind. As the child's eyes move, these different parts of the mind will activate, including the sections that operate logic, reasoning, and emotion. Through these techniques, the child's mind better processes the traumatic memory and can move on from it more successfully.
This treatment method provides a powerful recovery option that can give young children a better chance of finding themselves after losing a parent. Though nothing will ever replace their parent, EMDR treatment can make it easier to better process a memory. With the help of a skilled counselor, a child can move on from their parent's death and become a happier person. Just as importantly, they can learn better-coping mechanisms that may help with other trauma issues.
Locating EMDR Therapy
A growing number of therapists are expanding their therapeutic options to include EMDR therapy and other unique techniques. As a result, it should be easier for a caregiver to identify a treatment option that makes the most sense for their children. Often, this treatment goes hand-in-hand with other care options, such as medication and talk therapy, to ensure that a child gets the high-quality support required to bounce back from losing a parent traumatically at a young age.
For more information, contact a service provider like the Serin Center.
Share19 May 2023
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