What is trauma?

Trauma isn’t just about the “big T” events like an assault, an accident, or a natural disaster. Trauma can also be any negative and unexpected experience that overwhelms you, leaves you powerless, and changes the way your brain and body respond to stress.

That means it can include “little t” traumas too — a parent’s lack of attention, classmates laughing during a presentation, or a manager’s harsh words.

Trauma isn’t about how gnarly the event looks from the outside — it’s about how your nervous system reacts and how it gets stored.

When trauma isn’t processed, the memory doesn’t get filed away in the past.

Instead, it stays stuck in the here and now, hijacking your emotions, body, and relationships in the present tense.

This is why you might find yourself overreacting, getting angry for “no reason,” or feeling upset long after the event is over.

The good news is trauma can heal. And you don’t have to remember to recover.

OEI therapy: Gentle evolution of EMDR

Observed Experiential Integration (OEI) therapy was developed in Canada by Dr. Rick Bradshaw and Audrey Cook in the 1990s.

It grew out of EMDR but takes a gentler, more experiential approach.

OEI therapy works by using your eyes to access where trauma is stored in your brain.

Traumatic memories often get “slivered” — fragmented and locked in different parts of your nervous system.

By guiding your gaze into specific parts of your visual field, OEI helps access those fragments and bring them back together.

This creates integration.

Instead of feeling like you’re split into parts — one part wanting to stay, another wanting to run — your brain finally comes into alignment.

OEI is especially helpful if you dissociate, shut down, or get overwhelmed when talking about trauma.

Because you don’t have to describe every detail, your brain gets to do the work without pushing you past your limits.

EMDR Flash Technique: how it works

The EMDR Flash Technique is a newer, gentler branch of EMDR therapy.

Developed to make trauma processing safer and more tolerable, EMDR Flash helps your brain reprocess memories without forcing you to relive the details.

Here’s why Flash works: it also uses bilateral stimulation — quick eye movements or alternating taps — to engage both sides of the brain.

But unlike traditional EMDR, you don’t have to focus on the traumatic memory itself. Instead, you keep your attention on a positive or neutral image while your brain does the work in the background.

This bypasses the revivification that can make trauma therapy overwhelming.

By holding your focus elsewhere, your nervous system stays calm while the brain quietly files the memory into the past.

Clients often describe their distress dropping rapidly — from high levels of intensity down to almost nothing — in just a few sessions.

We can’t change the past.

The memory doesn’t disappear, but it no longer hijacks your body with the same emotional sting.

The Flash Technique is especially helpful if you dissociate, shut down, or feel triggered AF when trying to talk about the past.

It gives your brain a way to heal safely, without pouring gasoline on the fire.

Why these therapies matter

Talk therapy can be powerful, but when it comes to trauma, words don’t always reach the part of the brain that needs healing.

In fact, talking about trauma in detail can often cause revivification — reliving the experience in your body, like pouring gasoline on a fire.

That’s why brain-based approaches like OEI therapy and EMDR Flash are different. They work directly with your nervous system.

They help calm the alarm system (amygdala), reconnect the memory filing system (hippocampus), and restore balance so your body stops feeling stuck in fight-or-flight.

With these therapies, you don’t just learn to cope. You actually heal the root — so triggers fade, symptoms resolve, and you can move forward without being pulled back into the past.

Instead you focus on a positive or neutral image while your brain does the work in the background.

This bypasses the revivification that can make trauma therapy overwhelming. By holding your focus elsewhere, your nervous system stays calm while the brain quietly files the memory into the past.

Clients often describe their distress dropping rapidly — from a high level of intensity down to almost nothing — in just a few sessions. The memory doesn’t disappear, but it no longer hijacks your body with the same emotional sting.

The Flash Technique is especially helpful if you dissociate, shut down, or feel triggered AF when trying to talk about the past. It gives your brain a way to heal safely, without pouring gasoline on the fire.

Let’s connect.