What is EMDR therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy is a proven method for alleviating trauma distress.
Are you overwhelmed by the images, flashbacks, nightmares and visual reminders of your trauma?
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a psychotherapy treatment that helps alleviate your distress associated with traumatic memories. EMDR is an evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and it has been shown to be effective for a range of negative outcomes from trauma.
You might be struggling with unexplained outbursts, mysterious physical aches and pains, flashbacks or panic.
EMDR therapy is based on the idea that trauma can cause the brain to become stuck “on” or “off".” This can lead to a variety of symptoms, including flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and avoidance. EMDR therapy helps the brain to process traumatic memories and integrate them into your non-traumatic, existing memory system.
Many of my EMDR therapy clients come to me requesting EMDR for a specific, known memory. Others discover traumatic memories during the course of therapy and EMDR is used as part of a complete treatment plan. You are welcome to request EMDR therapy at any time during our work together.
EMDR therapy consists of different phases including resourcing, which allows you to handle the distressing memories during and outside of session. We move at a pace that is right for you, and you are always in control. During the “desensitization” phase, which happens later and after resourcing, we gently bring up different memories while you engage in bilateral stimulation. Bilateral stimulation might include visual (moving eyes back and forth using an animated ball), tactile (tapping your arms or legs back and forth), or audio (using headphones and bilateral music).
You should begin to feel positive results after about 4 sessions, and those results should continue to grow during the course of EMDR therapy.
EMDR therapy might be for you if:
You’ve experienced an overwhelming event like an assault, injury, or sudden loss of a loved one.
Disturbing images of your trauma cause distress and panic
You’ve tried CBT therapy or talk therapy with no improvement
You are ready to confront painful memories in a gentle, efficient way
You can fully access the memory or memories that you’d like to address
You’d prefer to not “talk about it” but still want results
EMDR therapy might not be for you if you are unable to access emotions (“become activated”) or if you are not yet able to self-soothe. If we are working with complex PTSD including repeated violations and/or severe childhood abuse, EMDR can be effective as part of longer-term therapy. It is better to use EMDR therapy when you are ready, which we can determine during Therapy for Adult PTSD.
What can EMDR be used for?
EMDR therapy is a powerful and effective therapy that can help you heal from trauma and other emotional distress. It is a relatively short-term therapy, with most clients seeing significant improvement within a few sessions. EMDR is a safe and gentle therapy that is well-tolerated by most clients. It is also a holistic therapy that addresses both the mind and body. EMDR can help you to develop coping mechanisms and resilience to future stressors.
My goal for my clients in EMDR therapy is to:
Process and integrate traumatic memories
Reduce or eliminate symptoms of as anxiety, depression, and flashbacks
Develop coping mechanisms for dealing with future stress and managing anger
Help you improve your relationships with others
EMDR therapy can help clients overcome really challenging memories, including car accidents, sexual assault, witnessing a death, or surviving a disaster. Online EMDR therapy is convenient, effective, and perfect for clients who don’t want to travel for trauma treatment.