Book Review, Every Memory Deserves Respect: EMDR the Proven Trauma Therapy with the Power to Heal
This writer first heard of the title, Every Memory Deserves Respect, by Michael Baldwin and Deborah L Korn, PsyD, while listening to the podcast, “Trauma Therapist” (Guy Macpherson, Ph, episode 547). Baldwin and Korn were connected by Baldwin’s therapist at the time to pen a truly unique text including insight from both an EMDR expert (Korn) and a trauma survivor (Baldwin). Baldwin felt compelled to express his trauma narrative and EMDR experience into this book with the help of Korn following EMDR treatment, which he attributes to forever changing his life.
This text includes seven chapters that inform the reader of various important considerations including:
What is this thing called trauma?
How does trauma affect your mind, body, and behavior?
How does trauma affect your brain?
What is EMDR therapy, and how does it work?
Contemplating treatment: Am I ready? Can I really do this?
When you’re ready: resources to get you started on your EMDR journey.
In total, the book is just under 300 pages, and offers large reader-friendly text.
It was important for the creators to also incorporate visual components, or what they refer to as “billboards” about every 10 pages or so. These billboards include a large graphic and an accompanying blurb of text that amplifies an important idea or concept being discussed in the surrounding pages. If you are a visual learner (like this writer), who may struggle with lengthier blocks of text, this layout and tempo may be especially digestible for you.
A specific billboard that is located on page 264 and 265, states, “Once released from old memories, we are no longer held captive by our past.” Which is accompanied by an image of a falconer, releasing their bird from the tops of a snow-capped mountain. This writer appreciated the symbolism of hope inferred in this billboard. This message, much like EMDR as a whole, offers hope to those suffering, who may not have seen much movement from other modalities.
This writer would indeed recommend this book for any individuals who may be interested in exploring EMDR for themselves or someone in their life. This book is also beneficial for new EMDR practitioners that would like to develop or deepen their understanding of basic concepts. More experienced or advanced level EMDR clinicians may find the information in this text to be a review, but I believe that even they would still find value in reading.
Christine Perkins, MSW, SWLC
References
Baldwin, M., & Korn PsyD, D. L. (2021). Every Memory Deserves Respect: EMDR the Proven Trauma Therapy with the Power to Heal. Workman Publishing.