EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
(EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy
As a Certified EMDR Therapist, Approved EMDR Consultant, and EMDR Trainer, I utilize EMDR Therapy extensively in my work.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements or tapping) to assist individuals in processing past traumas (big and small) at their core and in a way that often takes much longer with traditional talk therapy. It is highly researched (please see below) and offers a faster resolution than other traditional therapies.
EMDR is not a magic pill and works differently for each person. The more trauma or negative experiences one has encountered, the more there will be to work on. This is okay! There is no right or wrong with the process and it is important to not judge one's self in the process. We will not know how you respond to EMDR until we try it.
Now, can EMDR work quickly? Definitely! This is especially true for children or those with few traumas, including a simple incident trauma, due to having less connected experiences or those who have already utilized therapy to work on past challenges.
EMDR is not a magic pill and works differently for each person.
HOW EMDR WORKS
What to expect in sessions with EMDR therapy
The first few sessions will be reviewing your history and beginning to help you learn and utilize mindfulness and grounding techniques. Concurrently, we will be exploring what memories might be related to your current challenge(s). Once we identify how many memories we will need to target, we will create a plan to target each memory (eg to assist you in being able to look back at the memory/experience without it eliciting a strong negative emotional response).
EMDR Therapy is finished when none of the target memories illicit a strong emotional response and you've learned skills to help manage feelings if similar challenges occur again in the future.
I use EMDR to help with the following (but not limited to):
abuse (physical, mental, sexual)
car accidents
hospital trauma
phobias / fears (such as needle)
work related trauma (first responders, military members, toxic work environments)
test anxiety
performance enhancement
overall anxiety
other traumas not listed
addiction
the Research
EMDR is widely accepted as one of the gold standard treatments for Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Please visit the EMDRIA site for extensive information on EMDR research.
For more information on the importance of the bilaterals in EMDR Therapy, view this helpful video.
Along with treating PTSD, you will find many other studies that qualitatively show the vast array of implications for EMDR Therapy, including anxiety and depression.