Backstory: Therapeutic Technique Golden State Killer Survivors are Using
Invaluable help for victims of trauma. It’s worth trying if you’re struggling.
In July 2018, Paige St John released a podcast called Man in the Window. It’s a fantastic podcast that tells the Golden State Killer story, emphasizing the women and the times (the 1970s).
In the final episode, Resurrection, Paige talks about the therapist Phyllis (Victim #1) and Kris Pedretti are seeing, and she speaks briefly about the therapeutic technique. I thought I’d provide more information for those of you interested so you can investigate this kind of treatment for yourself. It’s beneficial for anyone with PTSD or deep trauma.
This method is like EMDR on steroids.
I didn’t realize I was doing the same thing as Kris and Phyllis until I spoke with Kris a couple weeks ago. As you know, what happened to me (and my family) was different. Most had personal contact with DeAngelo and managed to survive the monster. We had all the horror, and yet with us, things ended in murder.
Thankfully, as a group, we don’t bisect the two kinds of survivors, yet the trauma is different. I don’t have body memories as they do — I didn’t feel his breath on my neck, I didn’t feel his hands on my body. I wasn’t terrorized by him afterward (except in my head).
Yet, this kind of therapy works the same way regardless of how you’ve earned your trauma. It’s called Brainspotting (not to be confused with Trainspotting, the 1990s Scottish drug movie), and it manifests as a hybrid of EMDR.¹
As I understand from my therapist, a psychologist in Santa Cruz, Brainspotting is new. The training is coming out of California, and most of the early adopters are in the Sacramento area. At first glance, it seems extremely easy, but that’s the rub. It works almost like popping a Pillsbury biscuit roll — once it’s open, you can’t shove the stuff back in and save it for later.
Let me slow down and explain.
The Brainspotting experience.
I have eleven planets in Aquarius, I’m up for almost everything, but when I first heard about Brainspotting, I thought it sounded like magic. In fact, I…
