Phoenix Evans

About

Most people contact me after something in the news, a film, or an offhand comment at a family gathering has knocked loose material they thought was settled. It rarely arrives on a schedule anybody chose. The trigger is usually small and the reaction is usually large, and that mismatch is what sends people looking for an explanation. There is a good explanation. Abuse leaves associations rather than orderly memories, and associations fire on resemblance rather than relevance. That is why a passing detail can produce a reaction out of all proportion to the moment. We work with how the mechanism actually operates, and understanding it removes a lot of the alarm. A long stretch in hospital and intensive outpatient work taught me not to be startled by a large reaction to a small trigger. It is entirely ordinary. If something minor knocked something major loose, get in touch.