What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from different treatment approaches.
EMDR was developed in the 1980's by psychologist Francine Shapiro. Dr. Shapiro noticed that her own eye movements during times of stress seemed to reduce her anxiety. She got curious about her experience and began utilizing EMDR with her own clients who were diagnosed with PTSD. She found that it also helped them become less reactive to distressing memories. She began to study this through research. Over the years, the research and use of EMDR grew to be where it is today. What started out as a treatment for PTSD has also evolved to be a treatment for other mental health conditions such as phobias, complicated grief, or single incident trauma.
How does EMDR work?
EMDR therapy is a treatment method that uses a technique called bilateral stimulation to repeatedly activate opposite sides of the brain. Bilateral stimulation is essentially back and forth movement from one side of the body to the other. This can be through eye movements, sound, or tapping.
These movements mimic the period of sleep referred to as REM sleep.This portion of sleep is frequently considered to be the time when the mind processes through the recent events in a person’s life.
EMDR seems to help the brain reprocess the trapped memories of trauma in such a way that normal information processing is resumed. Therapists often use EMDR to help clients process trauma that has remained "held" in the mind and body.
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
- Dissociative Orders
- Disturbing Memories
- Phobias
- Pain Disorders
- Performance Anxiety
- Addictions
- Stress Reduction
- Sexual and/or Physical Abuse
- Body Dysmorphic Disorders
- Relationship Anxieties
- Eating Disorders
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?
Are there one or more negative beliefs that you believe about yourself that, on an intellectual level you know are not true, but on an emotional level believe are true?
Do you feel chronically insecure in relationships?
Is there a negative memory or experience that you often think about that causes distress?
If you can relate to any of the above, you may be a good candidate for EMDR therapy.
EMDR is not something you "jump into" in the first few sessions of therapy. In working with me, I get to understand your history and what is still affecting you today. I have you let me know what you want EMDR to help you let go of. I identify with you how you want to feel about yourself and the world around you by using EMDR so that we know what we are working toward.
Because EMDR can be more emotionally activating than other types of therapy, I work with you to identify what supports you have in place, essentially coping skills, that you can utilize between sessions should you continue processing memory outside of session.
EMDR is not something completed in one session. However, when I have utilized EMDR with people, I often see it resolve emotions and beliefs that create distress in a person's life more quickly than through talk therapy.
Contact me today for a free phone consultation to see if EMDR might be of benefit to you.
EMDR therapy in:
-Denver, Colorado
-Scottsdale, Arizona
-Charleston, South Carolina
-St. Thomas/St. Croix USVI