Book excerpt: EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) therapy has been successfully used for the past thirty years for those who have suffered PTSD in the military. Recently it has been recognized as a useful therapy for other forms of trauma. For the author of this book, it was a lifesaving means of reprocessing painful experiences from her upbringing that continued to affect her life. Because “hurt people hurt people,” Marie Pflugrad tells her story of pain and relief through EMDR to demonstrate how the past can be the past and not a shadow darkening the present.