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Abstract

for abuse survivors to internalize the lesson, “I’m bad” from their abuse, even when they are in no way at-fault.</p><p id="113b">In order to heal such unhealthy memories, we have to do two things. First, we need to learn to <i>desensitize</i> ourselves to the memories, so that they are no longer triggering. Second we need to <i>reprocess</i> them with a healthy belief about ourselves. By doing so, the sensory information from the memory can finally be paired with a healthy story of what happened. The memory, now whole, can finally be stored in long-term memory. The book can finally be closed and put away on the bookshelf where it belongs.</p><p id="c660" type="7">This is why traumatic memories can still feel so vivid even when they happened a long time ago.</p><figure id="8c71"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*vGddg7i-Npz35GlTuEJhNA.png"><figcaption>The left image shows over-active brain activity of a client with Post-Traumatic Stress. The right scan shows brain activity after EMDR treatment. Credit: Dr. Daniel Amen.</figcaption></figure><p id="cec8">Research has shown that one way to help desensitize and reprocess memories is by alternately stimulating the left and right-hand sides of the brain. One way to do this is by moving the eyes to the left and right, something that, remarkably, happens naturally as we sleep. Another way is to alternately tap on the left and right hand sides of the body, for example on the hands or knees. Treatment that utilizes these techniques is known as Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR. While originally developed for the treatment of trauma, EMDR can also be effective <a href="https://www.emdr.com/research-overview/#adaptive">for many other chronic, “stuck” issues such as anxiety, depression, phobias, or body image</a>.</p><figure id="d73c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*hkBFbyd8f229q6w97-jAaA.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo: JuergenPM / pixabay.com</figcaption></figure><p id="2924">A first step of EMDR treatment is to equip you with tools and techniques that empower you to manage your arousal. Only when you feel proficient with these tools do you move on to processing past memories at a pace that feels safe to you.</p><p id="04f2">At the conclusion of EMDR treatment, the goal is being able to merely <i>recall</i> these memories rather than being forced to <i>re-live</i> them, to merely <i>have</i> memories rather than feeling like the memories

Options

<i>have you</i>.</p><p id="6a0a"><b><i>Peter W. Pruyn</i></b><i> (“prine”) is a psychotherapist in Northampton, Massachusetts, a member of the New England Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation (<a href="https://www.nesttd-online.org/">NESTTD</a>), and author of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/993937295/peters-psycho-ed-handouts-client"></a></i><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/993937295/peters-psycho-ed-handouts-client">Peter’s Psycho-Ed Handouts: Client Handouts and Therapist Resources for Trauma, EMDR, and General Psychotherapy</a>.</p><p id="ec8f"><i>For more by this author, try:</i></p><div id="b546" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-find-a-good-emdr-therapist-8164e38fc79f"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Find a Good EMDR Therapist</h2> <div><h3>Ten tips to help you decided whether a trauma therapist is right for you</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*G81sywTnCEHzho-kZFMuJg.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="0a0d" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/treating-endometriosis-with-emdr-5d3898240e0"> <div> <div> <h2>Treating Endometriosis Pain with EMDR</h2> <div><h3>Healing our stories can lessen our pain</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*jdQmiOk7bWGTr9BHUxzskA.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="408c" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/why-a-trauma-therapist-recommends-chessy-prouts-story-e087ba4d8106"> <div> <div> <h2>Why a Trauma Therapist Recommends Chessy Prout’s Story</h2> <div><h3>Empowerment + Connection → Recovery from Sexual Assault</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*85urCfNAUhdLFNrWJX3pAw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

An Open Letter to Packaging Manufacturers

A bad wrap makes for dire consequences to our planet

Dear packaging manufacturers,

Why does all the packaging on items I buy need a Swiss army knife to get into them?

The prospect of a delicious crumpet for breakfast instantly put me in a bad mood because when I tried to open the cellophane packet, it would not yield. I even tried ripping it open with my teeth, but somebody in the packaging world just does not want me to enjoy my breakfast today.

I wish I had opted for cereal instead.

One morning, fresh and smiley-faced, I got my favourite mug out of the cupboard, opened the tea caddy to plop in a teabag and, seeing that it needed topping up, got down the new box of tea bags which had a thin, gold band with a loose end to pull to release the cellophane.

Well, that was the idea.

This particular morning I was in such a good mood but within seconds, my demeanour darkened and I was stabbing like a frenzied maniac at the box.

I sliced open a whole stack of teabags spraying dried tea leaves all over the worktop. What was supposed to be a simple task turned me into a psycho-style stabbing nutter. And all because the packaging was so tightly wrapped I couldn’t get inside.

It was only teabags for goodness sake.

And that’s before I even get started on items like electric toothbrushes that have been so tightly compacted in armour plating that a chainsaw wouldn’t release them.

The day after the tea bags incident, I was singing merrily in the shower, feeling on top of the world but once again, my mood darkened in an instant.

Reaching for the shampoo, I just could not peel off that slippery silver seal across the top, no matter how hard I tried. There was no way on God’s earth that I was going to be able to tear the damned thing off.

Once again, I resort to scissors to stab a hole in the top. It’s the only way sometimes.

Don’t get me started on the bleach….I know they have to be child-proof but do they have to be adult-proof too?

I mean why are manufacturers so hell-bent on not letting their consumers get access to their products? (I have been known to ask that question out loud, while home alone…)

Sachets of ketchup, mayo, and other delicacies are another pain in the proverbial. There they sit, all neatly tucked into a cute little container on the café table taunting you.

I have yet to tear across the top where indicated and have always resorted to the teeth pull (not very elegant, I know, but needs must). Sometimes it’s a successful tactic, others it’s an embarrassing disaster when the contents spurt out, spraying not only me but my unfortunate companion as well.

Weirdly, it always misses the plate of food.

Zip-lock bags on frozen goods or cheese. I cut where indicated and I can NEVER get the zip to re-lock without fighting with it for at least five minutes. I sometimes give up and use a peg instead if it’s frozen fruit or cling-film for the cheese. It kind of defeats the object of zip-locks.

Once, in the middle of the night, I was particularly thirsty and snuck down to the kitchen to get a drink. Opening the fridge, I spied some mouth-watering orange juice. Yay!

Oh, dear Lord. The following morning, a sticky mess across the worktop was a testament to my midnight battle with the juice container.

I thought I had cleaned it all up but trickles lurked under the microwave and the fruit bowl.

Medicine bottles and vitamin containers. No matter how many times I twist and turn, they will not yield. It’s out with the monkey wrench or pliers from the toolbox every time.

Yes, I know it’s for safety reasons, but honestly, to the point of making them bomb-proof?

Which brings me to my final and MOST IMPORTANT gripe of all — why do you use so much packaging?

Have you not heard about the global plastic pollution catastrophe?

Please stop triple and quadruple wrapping everything in plastic just so that the packaging looks attractive. Try making the product inside so irresistible, consumers will buy it anyway. Ever thought of that?

Patiently, (wait-for-me-to-get-my-bolt-croppers)

Pyscho Cindy AKA sweet lady consumer who just wants to open the packaging