Accidents happen. And plenty happens beyond our control.
Shocking. Unsettling.
Even driving by a motor vehicle accident can be unsettling.
We can feel set on edge when we see something bad happen or if it happens to us.
As we go about our business, we may find ourselves reflecting on that situation, what we saw, or what happened to us. We may resolve to allow more space between our car and the one in front of us when on the highway in the future. We wake up the next morning and we feel fine.
The image from the former day does not trouble us. In fact, when we call the incident to mind, it is not too bad a memory, and it does not pop into our thoughts unsolicited.
We would say such an experience has become adaptive.
However,
….sometimes, we find ourselves returning to such an incident, reflecting on it again and again, or the upsetting image pops up into our minds relentlessly or startlingly. Such an experience is not adaptive. And it does not have to continue evolving into something maladaptive.
One way to curb the impact of a troubling, recent, shocking event or upsetting scenario is through EMDR's Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol or r-TEP.
What's r-TEP?
The Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol (r-TEP) is a means of alleviating symptoms of trauma. It addresses disturbing experiences before they get ingrained or generalized in our memory networks, snowball into PTSD, or contribute to Complex PTSD. It can curtail the further impact of an upsetting event.
Like with all EMDR, research shows this is a favorable mental health intervention.
Compared with the EMDR standard protocol, r-TEP is applied to a story and requires less preparatory work.
The protocol, guided by the therapist, is as follows:
1. The client zeroes in on their traumatic narrative, telling the story of what happened.
2. The client is instructed to review that storyline, search for Points of Disturbance (PoD), and stop at the first one.
3. Then, that point is processed akin to EMDR standard protocols, with some modifications under the therapist's guidance. Specifically, the processing may not include as much "reprocessing" as it stays closer to the disturbance before reaching the story's end.
4. The client combs over the storyline, stopping at each PoD that is discovered. Each one is addressed in turn until each point has significantly reduced its disturbance.
5. It sometimes takes multiple dives back into that narrative before all the various PoDs register with little or no disturbance,
6. Next, the therapist guides the client to check the whole story and see if it is clear of disturbances or if the disturbances are minimal.
7. Then, the therapist will direct the client to notice what they have learned or discovered from the entire experience.
Usually, the client arrives at such conclusions as:
"I got through it,"
"I didn't die,"
"I will look both ways next time,"
"It was an accident. I am still a good person."
"It happened. It's over."
8. Finally, as with standard EMDR, attention is paid to residual somatic traces of disturbance so that the neural pathways are really cleared.
9. Then, there is a follow-up session like with EMDR's standard protocol.
Sometimes, unaware, clients touch upon other forms of distress stored away, unmetabolized in their neural networks while doing r-TEP.
While r-TEP does not address these concerns that may emerge, they are respectfully tabled for later address for the sake of the most effective adaptation with present and future functioning. In fact, it is best to process these unmetabolized negative experiences lest they fester further, contributing to health or mental health disorders.
Sometimes, even existential concerns or moral injuries emerge with r-TEP work. These also can be addressed through other EMDR protocols and related methods, and it is best to address these, too, once the recent disturbances are cleared. Of course, r-TEP alone still helps in a specific instance, despite the other discoveries that surface in the memory network.
Perhaps you are wondering if you actually have had a recent trauma or even one in the not-so-recent past that warrants the attention of a trauma therapist. Here are some signs that such an event may activate you:
1. Your sleep is disrupted.
2. You are ruminating about the event.
3. Certain smells, sounds, or sights repeatedly trouble you.
4. Your heart is racing.
5. Your thoughts are racing.
6. You are anxious and on edge.
7. You are sick to your stomach or have trouble breathing or some other physical distress.
8. You are having a hard time focusing.
9. You are closing down, hiding even.
10. You are going from 0 to 10 with rage or reactivity out of nowhere.
If you know or are having difficulty adjusting after something that happened, you are welcome to contact me to discuss it. I am also available to discuss the recent episode trauma protocol or this narrative approach to trauma.
You can reach me at 845-202-9774 or fill out the contact form on my website,www.karenpsychotherapy.com.
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