Powerless
“We’re going to try something different today.” In her hands she held two small oval pieces of plastic - one black and one white. I had heard about EMDR, but I had never personally experienced it. “What causes you anxiety?,” my therapist asked. I had to think about it for a moment. My mind started scanning. There were so many things which caused me consternation…the fear of disease…the fear of losing a loved one…the fear of flying. But these weren’t things I necessarily thought about day in and day out. There were the daily stresses….my tinnitus…money…my worries as a parent. The next layer down were the deeper anxieties - things I couldn’t articulate as easily - feelings that came with a vengeance - emotions that I thought I had conquered, yet showed up when I least expected them. “My son and his comments…,” I finally replied, “…and of course, there’s my biological family.” “I can’t stand feeling like they don’t accept me…I don’t like thinking that something is wrong with me…and ultima