How Dr Katie Bird’s trauma therapy destroyed the case against her alleged abuser
She found the exposure therapy helped overcome PTSD, but stopped her court case.
For years, Dr Katie Bird endured intrusive memories, flashbacks and nightmares associated with alleged sexual abuse she experienced as a teenager.
These thoughts would arise unbidden at innocuous moments. At these points, she could not study, socialise or get on with life.
But then, as a final-year medical student, she underwent eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). She says it showed her there might be a way back.
After the first session, she noticed a shift in how she was processing her experiences. She says the therapy, which she pursued over a number of years, eventually “gave me back my life”.
