On the heels of the recent revelations regarding a Hollywood mogul who apparently is a monstrous sexual predator, the hashtag #metoo this week became a way for women to show solidarity on social media platforms, indicating that they too had been victimized by this type of abuse and harassment.

It was very saddening to see how many women have been mistreated in this way and keep in mind these are just the ones who are willing to be publicly identified. The real number is surely much higher.

These kind of traumatic events may leave lasting negative imprints that can significantly impact a person's quality of life unless address properly processed.

After a traumatic experience takes place, for a time there will usually be strong emotional reactions when it is recalled. In the process of healing, the emotions eventually dissipate and the event goes to what is called, "narrative memory." You know it happened, yet it doesn't provoke as powerful a reaction when you think about it.

Yet for some the memories remain fresh; even decades later it can seem as if it happened yesterday.

This becomes problematic since anything that reminds the person of the original event can provoke feelings of fear and anxiety due to a process known as pattern matching.  For example, a person isn't just afraid of the man who abused her, but is fearful of all men in his age group. This kind of dynamic takes place in many other types of unhealthy fears such as public speaking, heights, insects, etc. The generalization ends up limiting the individual that in a way that is not helpful.

A highly effective technique for decreasing the effect of negative memories is the Rewind Technique. I was trained in it a few years back and have seen some notable successes with it.

What attracted me to the Rewind Technique is that it is completely non-traumatic to the client. It is not a process where a person has to vividly relive past hurt, but rather learns how to release the emotional charge. Another positive attribute of the method is that a person does not have to share much in the way of specific details related to the hurt or upset, a general description is adequate.

If you or someone you know may benefit from some assistance in getting over a negative past experience,. a free, confidential phone consultation is available by calling (732) 714-7040

P.S. If you are a professional hypnotist or other helping professional, you can learn about training in the Rewind Technique and other helpful interventions at the Uncommon Knowledge Web Site.