It is easy to forget that there is an underlying need for a sense of peace, both internally and externally, that we, and our clients, seek.

We map our internal and external worlds in similar ways, as did my client in her traumatization. One can consider that our current mapping may be based on old data, old, outdated maps, and unprocessed traumatic material.

Our capacity to fully express who we truly are, underneath it all, gets withheld, and we can find ourselves feeling lost, but primarily to ourselves. We forget that we are what we are looking for.

In relationships, we might think that adding more pressure to the "outside" gets us somewhere. Instead, what if we considered going inside ourselves, to find relief?

I am always so grateful when I get to see how excited new EMDR therapists are to complete their EMDR Training. When I first got trained, I had no idea the trajectory EMDR Therapy would take me on, personally and professionally. Years later, my practice still is focused on working with complex trauma, I provide consultation, intensives, and additional support for therapists seeking to increase their confidence in working with complex trauma.

Just as perhaps no one sees and knows what it is like for our clients, we therapists, as ghost responders, may experience a parallel process.

We might not be aware of what is behind us, but it can still certainly influence our day-to-day lives and relationships.