EMDR
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 as well as some other conditions. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from different treatment approaches.
How does EMDR work?
EMDR uses a technique called bilateral stimulation to repeatedly activate opposite sides of the brain. Often, use of eye movements facilitate this bilateral stimulation. These eye movements mimic the way our eyes move during a period of sleep referred to as Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep. In this portion of our natural sleep cycle, our REM sleep, our minds processes the recent events in life.
EMDR helps the brain reprocess the trapped memories is such a way that normal information processing is resumed. Often therapists use EMDR to help clients uncover and process troublesome patterns with emotions, thoughts, and beliefs that developed as the result of relational traumas, or childhood abuse and/or neglect. For a more details, talk to me. You can also learn more from an organization called EMDR International Association http://www.emdria.org
What does EMDR help?
EMDR was originally established to help with PTSD. There is strong evidence, additionally in favor of its usefulness in addressing the following conditions:
- Panic Attacks
- Complicated Grief
- Perinatal Issues
- Dissociative Orders
- Disturbing Memories
- Phobias
- Pain Disorders
- Performance Anxiety
- Addictions
- Stress Reduction
- Sexual and/or Physical Abuse
- Body Dysmorphic Disorders
- Personality Disorders
None of the above symptoms or experiences fit you?
If you do not identify with the conditions on the list above, there are more experiential signals that EMDR may be right for you:
- Do you have experiences of distressing emotions that appear to you, and perhaps to others, as excessive to a current situation?
- Do you tend to be highly reactive to certain things like sounds, sights that “trigger”?
- Is there one or more dysfunctional belief/s that you have about yourself that you know are untrue on an intellectual level, but cannot shake no matter what you do, including CBT or other forms of psychotherapy?
If you answered ‘yes”, EMDR may help you. To find out if you are eligible for EMDR therapy or to learn more about this form of therapy, just reach out to me. Via a free phone consultation, we can begin to see if EMDR might help you release what no longer serves you.