Well, just to provide an alternate view, for me these basic skills are only enough if a person is out of the trauma caused by the crisis. While someone is having a traumatic response (which can persist forever on, and off, unless it is dealt with physiologically), these skills are usually not enough to bring about lasting change, because they do not address the trauma. In fact, they can serve to enhance the sense of isolation the tramatized person is already feeling, making things worse in terms of feeling a sense of hopelessness.
Similar basic skills were taught over and over again to Vietnam Vets. What was lacking was getting them out of the trauma. Consequently, many of them took their own lives; most never began to live normal lives until the trauma was addressed -- not the sumptoms of the trauma but the trauma itself. Self-talk, CBT, goal setting; those things didn't work in terms of finding a lasting 'normalcy'.
I know of 18 vets at our local veterans hospital who had not been able to get out of the flashbacks, the anziety, the depression until EMDR treatment was used. . . . for decades they dealt with the symptoms of trauma, which never went away until the EMDR treatments. Now EMDR is about addressing the biological component of the trauma. When it was addressed, the symptoms subsided, and they began to build what would be described as a normal life. They stopped needing antidepressants and antianxiety medication; they begain feeling better, and the tramatic symptoms subsided.
From my perspective, that was the point in their lives at which the information in the blog would be helpful. While the physiological component of the trauma was in play, lasting change did not happen and they lived in 'survival mode' -- looking back, the anecdotal evidence is that it wasn't possible for them to be 'normal' while their body was stuck in flight, fight or freeze; a physiological state which can be seen on brain scans.
Most people don't understand this dynamic. I know a LCSW who has brain scan equipment. She has done brain scans of folks who are dealing with trauma prior to and after EMDR. The scans show a significant change in the way the brain is operating.
Most folks have very unrealistic expectations about what is possible and what is not when trauma is in play. I'm not sure EMDR is the only way to address physiological trauma, and the truth is some people are more prone to hold trauma in their body than others - so for most people it probably is not an issue. But to people who are caught in trauma, and experiencing the traumatic symptoms, sometimes it is very difficult to deal with the expectation that they can just be normal again, think about goals, keep focused on. . . , etc., etc., etc.
I do not put down these methods, they are good solid methods. Yet sometimes they are not helpful; even perhaps hurtful since there are many cases where they are unrealistic in terms of helpful outcomes. People stuck in trauma live with the often unrealistic expectation that the trauma passes soon. In my experience, it doesn't, until the underlying physiological issue is addressed.
Anyway, just some anecdotal evidence around an alternate perspective -- use it as you will.
Blessings from Belle,
