How to move forward when yesterday’s trauma is haunting your today

The Problem: Trauma causing anxiety and panic

Tool Used: EMDR

Previously: Rikki came for treatment for a single-incident trauma. She had a kitchen fire and afterward became crippled by panic and anxiety. In the first installment (Issue 696), Rikki learned about trauma and the brain, developed mindfulness practice, and learned panic-reducing strategies — such as developing an imaginary safe space and other resourcing techniques.

Rikki was running late for session when my phone pinged. “Traffic. Kids sick. Dog ate my homework. Sorry. B there in 10.”

I laughed as I reviewed Rikki’s file. I was looking forward to hearing if she’d had a less stressful week since I’d seen her. Rikki bounded through the door, her energy tangible.

“Hi! So sorry,” she said breathlessly, as she collapsed onto the couch. “Crazy day. Week.”

“It’s okay. Catch your breath, take some time to land.” I handed her a water bottle. “Want a mindful drink?”

Rikki accepted the water. “Yes! I actually love this mindful thing. I did the candy exercise that you taught me with my kids. We actually did it with raisins. I didn’t tell them I do it with candy. It was a fun, calm activity for about four minutes before chaos descended again.”

“It’s awesome that you’re teaching strategies you’re learning here to your kids.” I paused while I watched Rikki take a slow sip of water and then begin to examine the bottle. After about three minutes of mindful drinking she looked up, clearer and calmer than before.

“Great job. So, how was the week?”

“My panic wasn’t terrible. I’d say it improved with the things I learned. But I feel a bit stagnant now, like as long as I don’t do certain things that trigger those memories, I’m fine and generally managing well. But what happens when I try to cook with oil or something again? I’m scared I’ll be back to square one.”

“Yes, could be. You’ve said that you were really surprised by the intensity of the panic — both right after the fire and also the extreme anxiety you feel when you think about the incident. Do you feel up to looking at that today?”

“Yes! I just want to be panic-free — able to cook normally and not fear the stove.” Rikki nodded expectantly.

“Great. That’s a really clear goal, Rikki. As we discussed, we’re going to try to treat the cause, what we’ll call core belief, of the problem, not just the obvious symptoms.