EMDR TREATMENT
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), is an evidence-based and complete psychotherapy treatment. It is designed to heal trauma and decrease negative feelings, core beliefs, and the body sensations associated with traumatic events. It is a highly effective, research-supported treatment used by the V.A., the Department of Defense, and the World Health Organization.
What is EMDR therapy used for?
EMDR originated to treat the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and is now widely recognized as an effective treatment for anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem, relationship patterns, eating disorder, addiction, and phobias.
EMDR is also used as a tool to treat childhood trauma and attachment wounds - so it can be a helpful treatment for adults who grew up in chaotic households, or experienced neglect, abuse, or emotional turmoil (i.e., poverty, racism, being a middle-child, addiction/mental illness in the family etc). When children survive these experiences, it can manifest in their adult lives as poor self-esteem, addiction, anxiety, depression, and shame.
EMDR helps our clients to fully process past experiences and untangle the emotions and thoughts attached to those experiences. Through eye-movement, or bilateral stimulation (through eye movements, buzzers, tapping, or sound), we are able to purposefully activate the trauma in order to move through it, so that it is no longer playing out in the present time. Negative thoughts and feelings that are no longer useful (or felt as shaming) are replaced with positive thoughts and feelings leading to healthier emotional experiences.
How does EMDR work?
When we do EMDR, we go through 8-phases together. Practicing some grounding techniques and preparatory work, before we deep dive. When you’re ready - we identify which memory to target first. Once we have the memory, you will explore visual memory, the body sensations, and the negative shame beliefs that are attached to the event, all while doing some sort of bilateral stimulation (through eye movements, buzzers, tapping, or sound). After that - we identify the positive belief that you want to have when you think about the memory, and we install those beliefs.
In successful EMDR therapy, the memories become less disturbing and the meaning of painful events is transformed on an emotional level. Unlike other forms of therapy, the insights clients gain in EMDR therapy result not so much from clinician interpretation, but from the client’s own accelerated mental and emotional processes. In short - you are healing trauma on a neurological level.
If this sounds a little complicated, don’t worry. Your therapist will be right there with you to explain, answer questions, and guide you through this highly effective process