Using Tetris and the Butterfly Hug to help process trauma after NICU with Victoria Craig | S3E50
For many NICU parents, they experience many moments of trauma throughout their pregnancy, birth and NICU experience. It also doesn’t end when they leave the hospital. In fact, that’s often when it starts to hit – once they get home, start living life again and realise “what have we just been through?”.
This week’s guest, Victoria Craig, mother of a preterm baby, neonatal nurse and a PhD student who is researching techniques that may help with trauma and post-traumatic stress symptoms of preterm parents. What started as EMDR research has turned into the power of small interventions – namely, the Butterfly Hug and even playing Tetris.
Victoria’s research has opened up some powerful opportunities for pre-term parents to easily try to support themselves through their trauma while they’re alone and in just a few moments. These two techniques can easily fit into small gaps of time throughout the day and the parents in the study saw real benefits from using them. To learn more, join us in today’s conversation!
In this episode, we’re chatting about:
- Why NICU trauma often surfaces months after discharge
- What bilateral stimulation is and why it’s so effective for trauma
- Playing Tetris and why it could reduce flashbacks after a traumatic experience
- How a 30 second Butterfly Hug could really help you
- The importance of validation and community when processing trauma
Take what you need!
[00:51] Introducing Victoria & her research
[05:57] The Butterfly Hug technique
[08:00] Using Tetris after trauma
[10:12] The findings of the research
[15:09] Recruitment challenges
[18:31] Using the techniques for different kinds of trauma
[22:04] When can you use these techniques?
[27:35] Final thoughts
A huge thank you to Emma at Cover My Bubble for supporting our podcast - you can find out more about all that Cover My Bubble offer at www.covermybubble.co.uk
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