NORTHAMPTON - For those shaken by the Dec. 27 arson fires, help is close at hand.

The Western Massachusetts EMDR Trauma Recovery Network has stepped up to provide free counseling to anyone affected by the suspicious blazes - from fire victims and witnesses to firefighters who dealt with the incidents to residents beset by last week's tragic events.

"We want to hear from people who are distressed by what's going on," said Karen Rowe, a Northampton psychotherapist and a coordinator of the network.

The group had representatives at a community meeting two days after the fires and has been signing up clients ever since, Rowe said. She said she couldn't provide an exact number.

Seventeen therapists from around the region are part of the organization. Each practices a therapeutic technique called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.

That technique, known as EMDR, helps the brain "digest" traumatic events, said Barbara Meyer, another of the network's coordinators.

"Our goal is really to prevent them from sticking and turning into something more complicated," Meyer said.

The network formed three years ago to help deal with the psychological toll of incidents in the region like natural disasters or violent crimes.

Members of the network have worked behind the scenes following major incidents like the fire at Meadowbrook Apartments in Florence last year and serious auto accidents around the area, Meyer said. Some therapists have used their expertise to help people affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, Rowe said.

Typically it takes three to four months after a traumatic event for people to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, Rowe said. While some symptoms of post-traumatic stress take hold before this time, she said, it's best to address them early.

Symptoms can include sleeplessness, mood swings, irritability, nightmares, intrusive thoughts and even flashbacks. Meyer called them all normal reactions to extraordinary events.

"Often people's mood stabilizes, but if it doesn't, they should be calling for help," Rowe said.

Events like the arson fires can been highly stressful for everyone involved, including first-responders like firefighters, paramedics and police officers, Rowe and Meyer said. Such incidents can be particularly troubling for anyone whose home was targeted by the arsonist.

"The place that we go for safety no longer feels safe - and that hits at your core," Rowe said. "This is a small, safe community where nobody expects anything to happen."

The network offers up to five free counseling sessions. In most cases in which the client hasn't suffered a previous trauma, Rowe said, EMDR is considered effective within one to five sessions.

Meyer said therapists first assess the individual's symptoms to determine if EMDR is an appropriate treatment for them. If not, the network offers referrals to specialists who use different methods.

In eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, clients are asked to visualize a traumatic event while following with their eyes the rapid side-to-side movement of the therapist's finger or wand.

Meyer said during a traumatic event, the rational part of the brain essentially switches off. That leaves memories of the event stuck in the emotional part of the brain, where it cannot be processed.

Through rapid-eye movement, EMDR activates the same brain process achieved in dreaming, Rowe said. Essentially, she said, it moves the traumatic memory from the emotional part of the brain to the rational side, where therapists believe it can, in some instances, be overcome.

James F. Lowe can be reached at jlowe@gazettenet.com.