A few months before the world turned upside down, I decided to get my life in order. I waited nervously outside the Union Square office of psychotherapist Gillian O’Shea Brown, LCSW and author of the book Healing Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Clinician’s Guide. I was about to begin EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). I was both excited and terrified. I had read about the process, which sounded akin to hypnosis, and I imagined myself having to wear a robotic headset with flashing lights. I had a friend who received the treatment and found incredible peace from her sessions—I knew the experience would be emotionally intense but also that it could be helpful. I was scared and skeptical, but also ready to go deeper into my psyche.
