A recent shake-up can leave you feeling off balance.
Maybe something unexpected happened. Something that rattled your sense of safety, identity, or direction. Whether it was a loss, a big life change, or a sudden disruption, you're left trying to make sense of it all while still showing up for daily life. It’s okay if you’re not sure what to do next. That’s where therapy can help.
What is a Recent Event?
A recent traumatic event is any experience that feels overwhelming, frightening, or deeply upsetting and has happened within the last few weeks or months. It could be something like a breakup or divorce, a car accident, a physical assault, a serious injury, a new medical diagnosis, the loss of a loved one, or even a community crisis or natural disaster.
These events can shake your sense of safety, control, or identity, and it’s completely normal to feel off balance afterward.
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When you experience something traumatic like an accident, a loss, or any overwhelming event your brain and body go into survival mode. You might feel anxious, irritable, numb, or like you’re replaying what happened over and over. This is your brain’s way of trying to make sense of what just happened, and it’s totally normal but it can also be exhausting and distressing.
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Yes. In fact, early support can make a big difference. EMDR therapy has a specialized protocol called R-TEP (Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol) that’s designed specifically for recent events. It helps your brain process the trauma before it becomes "stuck" and stored as an unprocessed, long-term distressing memory.
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R-TEP is a structured EMDR protocol that helps you safely process the recent trauma in a way that feels contained and manageable. It uses gentle techniques to help your brain do what it naturally wants to do, heal and make sense of the experience so it doesn’t get stored in a way that causes lasting emotional distress. You don't have to relive every detail; we go at your pace.
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Not at all. R-TEP is specifically designed to work soon after a traumatic event. You don’t need to wait until it gets worse. The goal is to give your nervous system a chance to recover before the trauma becomes deeply rooted and harder to process later on.
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Relief. A sense of clarity. The ability to move forward without constantly feeling hijacked by what happened. Many clients report feeling more emotionally regulated and less triggered after just a few R-TEP sessions.
