A.C. Brooke

Healing Fragmentation: The Brain-Body Reconnect

I’m honored to be co-presenting a continuing education session for mental health professionals focusing on the neurobiology of trauma and the healing potential of EMDR therapy. As I’ve shared in the past, when I was 19 (almost exactly four years ago now) I developed PTSD after a childhood trauma resurfaced that I previously ‘forgot’. But due to the nature of trauma and how it’s stored in the brain, to this day, I don’t have all the details of what actually happened. This phenomenon is regrettably common and widely stigmatized–but it doesn’t have to be.

This session will explore the neurobiology of fragmentation in the brain-body connection and the potential for reconnection of an embodied, fully alive self in the aftermath of trauma. The therapeutic focus of this three-hour interactive session will be the potential for healing fragmentation using EMDR. We’ll also be using some clips from Paper Birds, a documentary I directed about my experience living with memories you can’t remember in the traditional sense; and I’ll be sharing my perspective as a patient, and what has helped me in my journey.

As humans, seeing the world and our experiences through stories is an innate feature. Trauma alone can be dismantling. When you throw in a lack of clear memories and understanding into the mix, it makes the task of moving forward with your life seem all the more undoable.

Healing is possible even without all the answers, and that starts with fully realizing trauma and challenging our current approach to mental health. Looking forward to contributing to this important conversation and raising awareness about the complexities of trauma and memory!

The session is on Friday, October 25th. For all mental health professionals with interest, here is the link to the CEU: