EMDR Therapy

What Is EMDR Therapy?

When you’ve experienced trauma, you feel stuck or frozen in the past—as if your traumatic experience is still happening. EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing, is a form of therapy that uses bilateral stimulation to reverse the lockdown of the brain that happens in trauma. In other words, EMDR allows you to feel present again, unconstrained by the pain of the past.

EMDR is one of the most researched and evidence-based forms of trauma and PTSD treatment in existence. Most forms of therapy only engage the intellectual side of the brain—EMDR engages both the intellectual side and the emotional side, where traumatic memories are stored. It does not wipe away your memories, but it clears out the emotional charge of trauma. This way, you can recall what happened to you without feeling distressed, overwhelmed, or frozen in the past.

How Effective Is EMDR?

EMDR was founded by Francine Shapiro in 1987. Since then, it’s become the gold standard of trauma therapy. The American Psychological Association (APA), World Health Organization (WHO), and Department of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA) all endorse EMDR for trauma treatment. According to many studies, about 77-to-90 percent of trauma survivors no longer have PTSD symptoms after just three-to-six 90 minute sessions of EMDR.*

Part of what makes EMDR so effective is that it doesn’t require you to discuss at exhaustive length what happened to you—it gets right to the root cause of trauma. This makes it both safer and more powerful than standard talk therapy. EMDR opens up pathways in the central nervous system that trauma shuts down. It allows for the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that got “stuck” during the traumatic experience to move up and out of the body. The brain and body have a natural, built-in ability to heal from traumatic experiences—EMDR therapy taps into this ability.

Who Can EMDR Therapy Help?

Many mental health issues are secondary or residual to the “after-effects” of trauma. This can be true of anxiety, depression, OCD, substance abuse, workaholism, and other chronic problems. Given how many of these issues result from trauma, it stands to reason that EMDR therapy can treat many other mental health conditions. It is remarkably versatile, able to heal the past hurt at the root of many present challenges. I hold full certification in EMDR. My warm, focused presence with you can allow you to be present with your own experience.

What’s more, EMDR can help anyone whose sense of power was taken away from them—either by a person or a larger system of oppression. EMDR, therefore, is subversive. Those who inflicted trauma are called out in therapy sessions for the purpose of healing and change. Whether trauma was caused by systemic forces (racism, sexism, patriarchy, etc.) or happened within one’s own family or neighborhood, EMDR can help survivors reclaim their power and escape the shame and self-blame that their perpetrator caused.

How Does EMDR Therapy Work?

If you have severe trauma or PTSD, it’s normal to go through life feeling like a walking mess. You might struggle to hold down jobs, sleep at night, perform basic tasks, and enjoy time with friends. In all of these situations, it’s hard to be your most vulnerable self. EMDR gives you a place where you can be the “mess” without any fear of judgment. My sessions provide a safe space to fall apart and simply let yourself feel all your feelings.

The first stage of EMDR therapy involves history-taking and preparing you for the work of processing your trauma. Together, you and I will tiptoe slowly and patiently into the waters of trauma and create mental resources for staying grounded throughout treatment. These resources can include mindfulness, mental visualization, thought reframing, and any other strategies that help stabilize you.

Once we’ve assessed your stability, you and I can begin using bilateral brainwork to process and resolve the pain of the past. You will recall your experience as you tap with your fingers or watch my hand move back and forth across your field of vision. Doing these exercises repeatedly can desensitize your reaction to trauma, enabling you to remember your experience while remaining calm in your mind and body.

What’s more, the great news about EMDR is that the bilateral techniques are compatible with any visual or auditory issues. If you have partial blindness, you can engage in tapping exercises, and if you have any hearing loss, the eye movements are sufficient for processing your memories.

When the bilateral work is done, you and I will spend the remainder of each session working on bringing you back to the present. You’ll perform a full body scan to clear out any lingering trauma residue and then begin reevaluating for the next session.

How Can EMDR Therapy Benefit Your Life?

One of the most exciting—indeed, empowering—aspects of EMDR therapy is that it can free you from emotional dependence on others. Your confidence in yourself and your ability to regulate stress can grow to the point where you effectively become your own therapist. Once you realize that you can rescue yourself from your own distress, you become increasingly fearless.

Above all, however, it’s the therapeutic relationship that serves as the greatest difference maker in EMDR. Trauma generally wouldn’t happen if you had the right person available to protect you and help you carry your burdens. Those who are properly loved and cared for during times of distress generally aren’t traumatized. The therapist who provides EMDR, therefore, can give you the care that you missed out on when your traumatic experience happened.

Experience The Transformative Power Of EMDR In Your Own Life

I’ve been using EMDR therapy to help clients work through trauma for years, and I’m confident that I can help you do the same. To begin your journey toward healing and renewal, you can email me or call 614-859-5994.

*https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/