The ability of adults to reason in some situations is different from that of children and adolescents. There may be situations that the adult would perceive harmless or innocent, whereas for a child it could be frightening. An example of this could be the visit to a doctor, minor surgical intervention or an injection for vaccines.
Exposure to new experiences in children could prove to be traumatic. This is because, contrary to adults, children may reason to a new experience with fear because they do not know if they will be sure not to suffer any harm. Life experiences in adults allow them to reason differently, for example, going to cut their hair, to wear unpleasant clothes, to try new foods, to sleep alone and/or with the lights off, to visit new places and to interact with people. The way to rationalize these experiences is different and even think that we should feel fear we could see it as something ridiculous or absurd. Unfortunately, in these circumstances in some cases for a child, it would be a real challenge to face the experience, and they can have or feel real terror and panic. That feeling of terror can continue to affect the child for a long time and even in adulthood.
It is unhealthy that in the behavioral and emotional management of adults towards children to minimize the children’s expressions of experiences that the adults may be considered innocent or harmless. Doing so, ignoring the moment of terror that the child may be feeling, can cause an emotional trauma, which could affect the child for the rest of his life. For example, when the father takes his child for a haircut or to the dentist, but the child refuses intensely, with much fear and yet is forced under such circumstances. In this case, the child may begin to experience nightmares, phobias and changes in behavior. Because of this experience, the child may have developed some emotional trauma and this trauma can still be present in adult life. This trauma could in turn, impact his relationship with his dad. It is very possible that subconscious feelings of anger may arise for the rest of his life toward his father’s figure because he never established or tried to resolve the emotional trauma that occurred during his childhood.
The discipline aspect is very important in the development of a child. During the period of discipline adults should not minimize the seriousness of the children’s emotional reactions. If the child demonstrates disproportionate negative emotions toward a situation, the adult should consider this as a warning that something is truly wrong. The adult should consider intervening in the moment and give the child time to ask about their fears, sensations and feelings. First of all, the adult must try to make the child feel secure, confident that there is no danger, and as long as it is reasonable, the adult should try to grant his wishes.
In the adult life we may experience feelings and emotions of anger, regret, sadness, fear, anxiety and other negative emotions. These feelings, when there are no causes identified in the present and consciously, it is very possible that they originate from past experiences. If these feelings and emotions have been causing a negative quality of life for a long period of time, you should consider visiting a mental health professional. The help process can help you reduce and eliminate these unpleasant emotions. When you do this, you could live more free of emotional and physical pain.

​In the EMDR Therapy process, the therapist works with the client to identify a specific problem that will be the focus of treatment. The client describes the traumatic incident, from which he is helped by the therapist to select the most important and most distressing aspects of that incident. While the client makes eye movements (or any other Dual Attention Stimulus), other parts of the traumatic memory or other memories come to mind. The therapist interrupts eye movements every so often to ensure the client is processing properly.
Dual Attention Stimulus used in the EMDR Therapy (previously called Bilateral Stimulation) may be a visual, here the patient moves the eyes from side to side guided by the therapist; auditory, here the patient hears alternate sounds in both ears or kinesthetic where the therapist tapping gently and alternately on the patient's hands or shoulders. This facilitates the connection between the two cerebral hemispheres, achieving information processing and reducing the emotional load.
The therapist guides the process, making clinical decisions about the direction the intervention should follow. The goal is for the client to process the information about the traumatic incident, leading to an "adaptive resolution", as stated by Francine Shapiro this mean:  a) a reduction of symptoms; b) a change in beliefs and c) the possibility of functioning better in daily life.
The approach used in EMDR Therapy is based on three main points: early life experiences, stressful experiences of the present, and thoughts and behaviors desired for the future.

EMDR Therapy is recognized as a treatment of trauma and PTSD. It can reduce the symptoms of fear for people suffering from phobias, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. It can reduce the symptoms of depression caused by disturbing life experiences. It can help with the disturbing memories in victims of crimes, sexual assault victims, victims of natural and manmade disasters or in workers who deal with violence and crime like, police officers, firefighters, and first responders. It can help with the disturbing feelings from been incapacitated from an accident, surgery, or a severe burn. It can relieve excessive grief due to the death of a loved one or the feeling of guilt from witnessing the death. It can help with the negative thoughts, disturbing memories in people suffering from drug/chemical dependency, addictions, gambling. It can help in the recovery and it can decrease the chances of relapse.
It is not yet clear how EMDR Therapy works neuro-biologically. However, we know that when we are upset or experience a traumatic incident, our brain cannot process information as it normally does. Sometimes the moment of the incident that we feel threatened, humiliated, or endangered “freezes in time” in our memory, and remembering that incident may feel as bad as passing through it the first time because images, sounds, smells and feelings are “frozen” and have not been properly processed in our mind. These memories and recollections that have not been processed have a lasting negative effect that interferes with the way we see the world and the way we relate to other people.

​An injury can cause PTSD. We usually think that PTSD is caused by a life-threatening event, war, natural disaster, or sexual assault. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) defines PTSD as a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. The experience of a severe or traumatic injury can start a number of different negative emotions in our minds. The impact on the life of the victim who has suffered this type of traumatic events, which may result in some cases with a disability, either a permanent disability or a partial disability, can initiate the symptoms of an emotional trauma. PTSD can also develop from injuries with deformities or severe permanent scars. Pain is part of the process of rehabilitation and recovery after an injury; it is an emotional response that is natural and common due to the traumatic event. Clinical symptoms of PTSD may also result from the chronic pain following an injury. Children and teenagers can also suffer from PTSD. In the very young, the signs and symptoms may not be the same as in adults. The very young can start to wet their beds, forget to or stop talking, become more needy or act out the scary event during play.

• Having recurring flashbacks, bad dreams, and frightening thoughts of the injury/event.
• Problems with concentration, confusion, and memory.
• To avoid thoughts or feelings related to the injury/event.
• To feel sad, numb, depressed or hopeless.
• Problems or difficulty sleeping.
• Feeling angry, anxiety, tense, fear, easily startled.
• Feeling of guilt, shame, denial.
• Loss of interest in activities, family or people you used to enjoy.

These symptoms can be explained as normal reactions to a severe injury or trauma. Everybody is different and these symptoms may take time to recover. If the symptoms persist for a longer time than the natural, let’s say more than 6 months, there is a high probability that professional help is required to resolve these symptoms.
Medical interventions can help control and/or minimize symptoms with medications. While a mental health professional, a specialist in the area can provide treatment using therapy techniques to process and alleviate emotional symptoms. A help focused on the emotional trauma provided as soon as possible will allow to accelerate the recovery of the physical injury.

• The recurring flashbacks, bad dreams, and frightening thoughts of the injury/event continue for more than 6 months.
• Feeling depressed or hopeless.
• Continue to avoid situations or places that remind you of the injury.
• Your work, your relationships are affected, your family continues to tell you that they are concern about you.
• Inability to initiate new relationships.
• To begin or to increase substance abuse, alcohol or prescription medications to treat your emotional pain.

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Anyone who is sufferings from PTSD should seek a Mental Health Professional to alleviate their pain. The signs and symptoms that we described above will not resolve on their own. Everybody is a different person with different symptoms. A Mental Health Professional can provide individualize therapy to accommodate the specific issues of the person. Depending on the severity of the PTSD some people may only require therapy, others may require medical treatment and therapy sessions, and others may need a long term commitment to their treatment. A Mental Health Professional can help to minimize or eliminate the negative thoughts, memories, and sensations that linger and continue to affect your quality of life in a negative way. Time is very important in the treatment of PTSD, the earlier the treatment starts, the sooner you start resolving all the symptoms that are affecting your quality of life in a negative way and you will be able to have a faster and healthier recovery.
For more information contact Irene Rodriguez, LMHC, CAP, CCTP at 954-376-0496 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida or Dr. Caroline Rodríguez Mercado, M.A., PSY.D. at 787-690-0311 in Santurce, PR.