The ACE study, first conducted in the 1990s, revealed a strong connection between childhood trauma and long-term health risks. Understanding these connections helps professionals and individuals recognize the importance of early intervention and support. What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences? The ACE study was a groundbreaking research project that surveyed over 17,000 adults about their childhood experiences and current health. It found that traumatic events in childhood,

If you are reading this post, and you've read other entries on this blog, there is likely no reason to explain EMDR, or why you would want to learn how to be an EMDR clinician! But how would you go about learning? How can you afford it? One issue is that there are so many trainings out there, and so much confusion about what EMDR is. Here are some facts about learning EMDR, before I recommend where to do so: - You need to be a therapist, or working toward being one. That i

Child sexual abuse remains one of the most difficult and painful issues society faces. Efforts to expose and prevent it often focus on identifying abusers as distant, monstrous others. This approach, while understandable, limits our ability to truly confront the problem. To unmask child sexual abuse effectively, individuals must certainly take personal responsibility for understanding and awareness. But to be effective at all, this requires a willingness to engage in deep sel

When EMDR sessions stall, it’s rarely random. Research shows that the closer a clinician stays to the researched protocol, the better the results. If you're a clinician using EMDR, maintaining existing skill is perhaps more critical than further learning, as the basic training is the basis of all EMDR. Three structural patterns tend to emerge as clinicians get further from their initial training: Readiness criteria weren’t fully assessed Subtle instability is missed. Repro

Psychology today recently published a highly inaccurate and inflammatory description of EMDR, which they call a description, and it can be found here (please note the tone, and how it cites no evidence): https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/emdr The response of the EMDR International Association (which actually contains references to scientific research) can be found here: https://www.emdria.org/a-letter-to-psychology-today/ The article is filled with misinformati

Video games have become a central part of many children’s lives. Parents often see them as harmless entertainment or a way for kids to connect with friends. What many do not realize is that video games offer a platform for children to communicate with others just as easily as social media does. This opens the door to risks such as contact with child predators and negative peer influences. Understanding these risks is essential for parents who want to keep their children safe

Neglect is often seen as a private issue, confined to troubled homes or isolated individuals. Surely, the privacy of the home and the dependency and manipulability of small children enables sexual abuse. Yet, neglect extends far beyond personal spaces and seeps into the fabric of society itself. This widespread neglect, whether through inaction or willful ignorance, creates a fertile ground for harmful behaviors to emerge and persist. What I call "The Darkness Catalyst" descr

Attachment theory has shaped our understanding of early emotional bonds between infants and caregivers, and informs serious research on early childhood traumatization. John Bowlby’s classic experiment with rhesus monkeys introduced the concepts of the “wire mother” and the “fuzzy mother” to illustrate how infants seek comfort and security. The wire mother, although it provided milk, was cold and unresponsive, and represented neglect--while the fuzzy mother, soft and warm, sym

Early childhood sexual abuse is a deeply troubling issue that affects countless lives worldwide. While society often attributes such abuse solely to pedophilia, this explanation overlooks critical psychological and social factors that drive these harmful behaviors. Understanding the motivations behind early childhood sexual abuse requires looking beyond attraction to children and examining the roles of power, sadism, and opportunity. This post explores these complex drivers,

Trauma therapy often focuses on recounting events, piecing together facts, and understanding what happened. Yet, many people who seek help find that simply talking about the facts does not bring relief or healing. This gap points to a crucial truth: facts alone are not traumatic . Trauma lives in the body, in sensations, emotions, and physical responses. Effective trauma therapy must engage the whole person, not just their memories or thoughts. Why Facts Alone Do Not Heal Tra