The Automatic Message takes a deep dive into PTSD [Video]

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Vancouver-based artist duo The Automatic Message (aka Trevor Jacobson and Tanya Goehring), are back with their most personal project yet. EMDR is a four-channel film installation that delves into PTSD, trauma, and healing, inspired by Jacobson’s own experience with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy. The hour-long piece weaves fragmented memories, emotions, and surreal dreamlike sequences across synchronized screens, all set to an experimental quadrophonic electronic score.

Jacobson’s battle with PTSD began at 14 after a near-fatal accident that left him with severe injuries and a long, painful recovery. Now in his 40s, he credits EMDR therapy with providing long-awaited relief, with the transformative experience shaping this project. But turning trauma into art isn’t a solo effort. Dance artist Daria Mikhaylyuk brings movement to the installation, embodying the emotional landscapes onscreen through striking choreography that gives form to the often invisible …