It was my first overnight shift working in a group home with foster-care teen girls. I was a first-year master’s student, scared of everything, while simultaneously trying to prepare myself to become an emboldened therapist. I was already scared because it was my first overnight shift, but I had less than 10 minutes to feel those feelings before I heard a girl shouting from one of the rooms: “I hate my life, I don’t want to do this,” followed by the sound of a mirror breaking. I ran to the door and tried to push it open, only to find the teen had broken a mirror and was hysterically crying and shouting, “I’m going to cut myself.” I felt an overwhelming sense of empathy but also a fear that I did not have the tools necessary to help her. I used the only tools I had: I listened and gave her space to cry. It took her about an hour to regulate, but this incident led me to the conclusion that I need to learn more and educate myself on ways to help. This event, among many others, sparked my journey with EMDR. Today, I want to talk about suicide, self-harm, and how EMDR and PHP can help.
Understanding Trauma and Its Link to Suicide
Just like all the girls I worked with, many other people have also experienced trauma. Research done by Simon Proudlock discovered that those who have experienced trauma are 15 times more likely to die by suicide than those who haven’t.
How EMDR Helps in Suicide Prevention
EMDR is such an important tool to help with trauma, suicide, and self-harm because it includes resourcing. Resourcing helps the client ground themselves and find peace and calm when triggered. An individual might view suicide as an endpoint, but the backstory of this journey includes many risk factors and distressing events that can be addressed with EMDR and PHP levels of care.
Final Thoughts: Healing Through EMDR and PHP
I often think back to that night—the fear I felt about factors completely out of my control, and the overwhelming sadness of that young girl. It was a hard night, but getting through it motivated me to discover and learn tools to help others in similar situations. Now, I feel a little more capable and experienced, and I’m deeply grateful for that growth.
Read our case study of a business woman who was diagnosed with severe depression. It was a clinical case of severe depression.
Minal – 31 year old dynamic business woman was diagnosed with severe depression.
It all started just six months ago after her short business trip to Italy.
She started having suicidal thoughts and just didn’t know the reason for it.