Traumas after hospital and ICU: my experience with EMDR

I wanted to share something important, that might help other parents.

Our son stayed 5 months in the hospital, including 4 months in the ICU. During that period, you go through things no one should ever experience.

Without going into details, there were very hard moments. Children who don't make it. Violent situations. Images that leave a mark.

Afterwards, I realized I wasn't doing well. Certain sounds would immediately bring me back there. Certain images would play on a loop. It was uncontrollable, and very hard to live with on a daily basis.

So I decided to try a therapy called EMDR.

Concretely, it's a method developed in the late 80s that helps the brain "digest" traumatic memories. The principle is simple: you think back to a difficult memory while following bilateral stimulations (eye movements, sounds, or taps).

This allows the brain to reprocess the information, a bit like "filing it away" properly. The memory doesn't disappear, but it loses its emotional charge.

In my case, it was very effective. The memories are still there, but they no longer overwhelm me. Sounds no longer trigger those immediate reactions. It's as if it was all finally "archived".

If you've been through a long hospitalization, an ICU stay, or any difficult situation, and you feel it's still inside you… don't stay alone with it.

There are solutions.