Small Wonders: Healing Childhood Trauma with EMDR

By Joan Lovett

Book Overview

Childhood can be an exciting time, full of joyous exploration, new skills, friends, and imaginative play. It can also be very frightening, especially when children have experiences that threaten their feelings of safety and well-being. Even common traumatic childhood events can deeply affect children's normal healthy development, their self-esteem, and their families. Many behavioral problems stemming from common traumatic events could require years of psychotherapy or medication. That is, they did -- until the advent of EMDR. Developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR had already helped thousands of adult clients when Joan Lovett experienced its healing power firsthand. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a comprehensive therapeutic approach that helps patients release disturbing thoughts and emotions that originate in traumatic experiences. Experiences can be traumatic in the commonly accepted sense -- abuse, disasters, violence -- but children may also perceive and respond to more ordinary events as very threatening. A playground accident, the loss of a loved one, school problems, or choking on a piece of popcorn can be a part of growing up. They can also be critical incidents that cause a child to view him- or herself as helpless or powerless, to become fearful, and to develop debilitating behavioral problems. In Small Wonders: Healing Childhood Trauma with EMDR, Joan Lovett, M.D., shares engaging clinical stories -- mysteries involving children who present her with puzzling and disturbing behaviors. She imaginatively focuses her knowledge of pediatrics, play therapy, and EMDR to alleviate the real-life ordeals of real-life children. Featuring a foreword by Francine Shapiro, Small Wonders is the most comprehensive and insightful book to explore the potential of EMDR for child therapy. This enlightening book is intended for parents who are concerned with having their children feel confident, for adults who want insights into the way the events of their childhood shaped their self-image, and for professionals who want to know more about EMDR and how it can be adapted to meet the special needs of traumatized children.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416584633
• ISBN13: 9781416584636
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A Must for your Treatment Bookshelf

If you treat children who have suffered significant painful experiences, this book guides though the EMDR protocol for children. EMDR works and this book helps you make it more effective.

Recommend!

Easy to read and helpful for understanding the process of EMDR. I would have to agree with the previous reviewer Laura M that PEACEFUL HEART : A Woman's Journey to Healing is a must-read. Aimee Jo Martin's story clearly illustrates and details her journey with successful EMDR treatments. Quite powerful if you want to really see how effective EMDR can be.

An excellent case history guide to EMDR with children

Dr. Lovett, the clinical detective (behavioral pediatrician) writes poignant analyses of her work with childhood traumas great and small, in which she applies the bilateral stimulation techniques of EMDR. Her writing style is easy to read, and demonstrates the relative rapidity of trauma resolution when EMDR is properly interwoven into more traditional therapy. Her book is a valuable guide for clinicians skilled in the EMDR technique, as well as informative for parents considering such treatment for their child. As an EMDR therapist who teaches workshops on treating children, I highly recommend this engaging volume. Frances Klaff Ph.D.

Intriguing stories of recovery from trauma!

This is a well-written book about a pediatrician's experience with EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming) as a healing tool for people suffering from the results of traumatic incidents. It would appeal to laymen as well as professionals. The intriguing stories are like little mysteries, which unravel in a hopeful way. The author experienced a serious car accident and was finally helped to overcome some puzzling symptoms with EMDR. She got training in the technique and began using it (with great success) in her practice. This book is alive with vignettes of children with problems that no one has been able to fix, but who have responded to EMDR. This compelling book would appeal to anyone interested in a short term method of overcoming limiting behaviors.