On Wednesday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m., the Center for Integrative Medicine, an affiliate of Shore Health System, will offer the free lecture “Treating Complicated Grief with EMDR.”

Richard Gibson, LCSW-C, will present case studies to show how EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing – is used to desensitize the traumatic loss of a loved one and perhaps earlier losses of which the death is a reminder.

“When someone loses a loved one, the loss can be devastating and bereavement is a normal response,” Gibson says. “When the death occurs through murder or suicide and is sudden and unexpected, what is ‘normal’ becomes more difficult to define. If profound grief remains unresolved for many months, or even years, with debilitating symptoms of major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, or substance abuse, we describe it as traumatic or complicated grief.”

Gibson, a psychotherapist practicing at the Center for Integrative Medicine in Easton, specializes in psychological trauma and is certified in EMDR by the EMDR International Association. He explains, “EMDR can help the bereaved return to normal functioning so that thinking, feeling and behaving are no longer dominated by the loss.”

“Treating Complicated Grief with EMDR” will be held at the Center for Integrative Medicine, 607- B Dutchman’s Lane in Easton. For more information and to register for this free program, call 410-770-9400.