Every Memory Deserves Respect

Exploring the nature of trauma and how best to deal with it is not only a timely task, it is a necessary one. While COVID, isolation, and social unrest don’t necessarily cause trauma – trauma is about how one reacts to a thing, not the thing in itself – the fact is that these days many of us are dealing with some sort of trauma. How can we heal? Perhaps through a therapy known as EMDR, which stands for eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing.

Cowritten by Michael Baldwin, a patient who experienced transformative relief from trauma through EMDR therapy, and Dr. Deborah Korn, a therapist (though not Baldwin’s therapist) who explains exactly how and why EMDR works, Every Memory Deserves Respect brings the good news of EMDR to countless readers who may not even know of it but would greatly benefit from using it. We learn the origins of EMDR and of its effectiveness in treating those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder; how a session works; questions to ask a therapist before beginning. But we also learn a great deal about trauma – how it can refer to any experience, big or little, that is overwhelming, triggers strong negative emotions, and involves a sense of powerlessness or intense vulnerability; how it’s stored in our memories, and our bodies, waiting to be triggered; and how EMDR resolves it.

Every Memory Deserves Respect is a warm, accessible, and helpful book, in part because of its innovative use of full-page photographs paired with a statement, definition, or affirmation. And that, combined with its mix of personal story and trusted authority, makes this an unusually effective introduction to a complicated and important subject.

About the Authors

Michael Baldwin is an accomplished leader in the communications industry with more than 35 years of award-winning work in advertising. He is the founder and principal of the branding and communication firm MICHAEL BALDWIN INC, and the author of Just Add Water: An incredibly easy guide for creating simple, powerful presentations. He lives in New York.

Deborah L. Korn, Psy.D. is a psychotherapist, teacher, clinical consultant, and researcher who has been on the faculty of the EMDR Institute for more than 25 years. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research and is a regular presenter at the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) Conference. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her family.