EMDR

Courtesy of EMDR International Association

What is EMDR Therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a ground breaking, highly researched and proven effective therapeutic method that can help people overcome their trauma. Whether you’ve experienced a single trauma like a painful break-up, natural disaster, loss of job or repeated trauma EMDR can help.

Some of the benefits of EMDR:

There is no required homework between sessions.
EMDR does not require that you share the details of the specific trauma with your therapist.
EMDR can help with recent trauma, as well as trauma that is years or decades old.
EMDR allows your brain and body to get on the “same page,” unlike other cognitive based trauma techniques.
As a client in EMDR you are in control of the speed and duration of processing, meaning you can stop processing at any time.

How does EMDR work?

EMDR therapy is an integrative psychotherapy method that uses a technique called bilateral stimulation to repeatedly activate opposite sides of the brain. Therapists often use eye movements to facilitate bilateral stimulation. These eye movements mimic the period of sleep referred to as rapid eye movement or REM sleep, and this portion of sleep is frequently considered to be the time when the mind processes the recent events in the person’s life.

EMDR seems to help the brain reprocess the trapped memories in such a way that normal information processing is resumed. Therapists often use EMDR to help clients uncover and process beliefs that developed as the result of relational traumas, or childhood abuse and/or neglect. For a more detailed explanation please visit the EMDR Institute, Inc.

What does EMDR help?

EMDR had been originally established as helpful for PTSD, although it’s been proven useful for treatment in the following conditions:

Panic Attacks
Complicated Grief
Disturbing Memories
Phobias
Pain Disorders
Performance Anxiety
Addictions
Stress Reduction
Sexual and/or Physical Abuse
Body Dysmorphic Disorders

None of the above symptoms or experiences fit you?

Do you experience distressing emotions that appear to you, and perhaps to others, to be excessive given the current situation? Do you tend to be highly reactive to certain triggers? Is there one or more dysfunctional beliefs that you believe about yourself that on an intellectual level you know is not true?

If so, you may still be a good candidate for EMDR therapy. Contact me today for a free phone consultation to see if EMDR might help you release what no longer serves you.