EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach proven effective for the treatment of distress. This type of therapy can help you get unstuck and provide lasting relief.
You feel stuck in the past. You’re looking for therapy to help you get unstuck and provide lasting relief.
You’ve been through a lot. Sometimes painful memories creep up out of nowhere and trigger intense emotions. It takes so much time and energy to come back down after you’ve been triggered, only to do it all again a short time later. You want nothing more than to stop this cycle but you feel helpless.
Your intense reactions to painful memories of the past are interfering with your everyday life and relationships. You behave in ways that you’re ashamed of, only further compounding the shame and guilt you might be carrying.
Maybe you can identify a specific event that has led to this frustrating cycle. Or maybe you carry painful memories and don’t quite understand why they are so disturbing to you. Either way, you know something needs to change so that you can feel relief.
You’re frustrated, exhausted, and scared. Your feelings are so intense that it’s hard for you to imagine how this could ever get better. Maybe you’ve tried different therapies, none of which provided you with the long-term relief you were hoping for.
Dealing with these things can be so confusing and overwhelming. It can affect everything from your day-to-day mood to your relationships and work performance.
It might be hard for you to believe that recovery is possible.
Imagine waking up with a clear mind and a calm body. The intrusive thoughts are quiet. You feel in control and ready to take on the day.
You’re not alone. Feeling “stuck” is a common response to trauma. When we experience something deeply distressing, our brains go into survival mode and this experience gets quite literally “stuck” in the emotional side of our brain. Whatever you have experienced, we are here to help you live the life you deserve.
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of distress. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that will help move distressing memories from the emotional side of the brain to the logical side of the brain; this lessens the intensity of emotional responses to triggers.
EMDR uses a technique called bilateral stimulation (BLS) to repeatedly activate opposite sides of the brain. This might sound scary, but this could be as simple as your therapist moving their fingers side to side as you follow with your eyes. Several BLS techniques produce the same effect. You and your therapist will explore what is most comfortable for you.
These eye movements mimic the period of sleep referred to as rapid eye movement or REM sleep, and this portion of sleep is frequently considered to be the time when the mind processes the recent events in the person’s life. EMDR is effective virtually but alternate forms of bilateral stimulation are often necessary.
When are you experiencing BLS, your logical and emotional brain is problem-solving. The distress gets dislodged from the emotional side of the brain and can be properly processed.
Therapists often use EMDR to help clients uncover and process beliefs that developed as the result of relational traumas, or childhood abuse and/or neglect. For a more detailed explanation please visit EMDRIA.
What does EMDR Therapy look like?
After you and your therapist determine that EMDR is a good fit, you will begin to prepare for your EMDR sessions by exploring what you’d like to work on.
EMDR sessions can vary from therapist to therapist, but you’ll work through eight phases of EMDR: initial history discovery and treatment planning, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and then reevaluation.
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This generally takes 1-2 sessions at the beginning of therapy but can continue throughout therapy as new problems are revealed. You and your therapist will explore the specific problem you’re wanting to address and the emotions and behaviors related to this problem. With this information, your therapist will develop a treatment plan that identifies specific targets to use EMDR:
Past events
Present triggers
Future triggers and wellness
One of the features of EMDR that appeals to many people is that it is not necessary to discuss any of their disturbing memories in detail. For example, if your therapist asks “What event do you remember that made you feel unlovable?” the person may say “It was something my father did to me.” That is all the information your therapist needs to target the event with EMDR.
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For most clients, this phase will take between 1-4 sessions. Your therapist will introduce several different relaxation techniques to use if any emotional disturbance arises during or after a session.
You and your therapist will discuss any concerns or questions you have and what to expect during and after a session. Trust in your therapist is crucial so even if you feel prepared with your relaxation techniques, more sessions may be necessary to further develop the therapeutic relationship.
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You will pair disturbing images, emotions, or physical sensations from a target event with negative beliefs associated with that event. Common negative beliefs include “I am bad,” “I am helpless,” “I am worthless,” etc.
You will then choose a positive statement that you would rather believe, such as “I am worthy,” “I am safe,” etc. This positive statement should accurately reflect the present.
Your therapist will use two different scales to estimate how disturbing this event feels and how valid the positive statement feels. The goal is for your disturbance level to decrease and the validity of the positive statement to increase.
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Starting with your first target, your therapist will lead you in sets of BLS until your disturbance level is as low as appropriate.
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During this phase, your positive statement will be strengthened. The goal is for you to accept the full truth of this positive statement at the highest level.
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After the positive cognition has been strengthened and installed, your therapist will ask you to bring the original target event to mind and see if any residual tension is noticed in the body. If so, these physical sensations are then targeted for reprocessing.
An EMDR session is not considered successful until you can bring up the original target without feeling any body tension.
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If processing is not complete in a single session, your therapist will guide you in using the previously learned relaxation techniques to regain a sense of equilibrium.
Your therapist will also debrief you on what to expect between sessions and what relaxation techniques could be used outside of the therapy session.
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You and your therapist will discuss anything that came up in between sessions and begin at Stage 1 to address this if necessary.
EMDR can help with more than just trauma!
Although EMDR had been originally established as helpful for PTSD, it’s been proven useful for treatment in the following conditions:
Performance Anxiety
Addictions
Stress Reduction
Sexual and/or Physical Abuse
Body Dysmorphic Disorders
Personality Disorders
Panic Attacks
Complicated Grief
Dissociative Orders
Disturbing Memories
Phobias
Pain Disorders
EMPWR Transformative Therapy would be happy to explore how EMDR could help you! You deserve to be happy and have peace of mind.
Have questions or concerns about EMDR therapy?
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EMDR is an accelerated psychotherapeutic approach that can be completed in fewer sessions than other psychotherapies. A typical EMDR session lasts 60-90 minutes, with most clients experiencing a significant reduction or elimination of trauma symptoms in 6-12 sessions.
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As with any form of psychotherapy, there may be a temporary increase in distress. This could include the emergence of distressing and/or unresolved memories, an unanticipated high level of emotion or physical sensations, and subsequent processing, including the emergence of dreams, memories, feelings, etc.
Before EMDR processing, you will learn several relaxation techniques to use during times of distress, including after sessions, when necessary. If you need extra support, you and your therapist will determine the frequency of sessions that will be most helpful to you.
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Although they may sound similar, EMDR and Hypnosis are two entirely different modalities. Hypnosis deliberately induces clients into a shift of awareness. It is a sleep-like state without actually falling asleep.
During EMDR, you are fully conscious and aware of what is happening around you. You and your therapist will establish a “stop” signal for you to use if you are uncomfortable proceeding with processing.
We typically describe EMDR as watching a movie of parts of your life; you are sitting back and “watching” historical events on the screen. You might recall memories, feelings, and sensations associated with the targeted event. This is your brain problem solving and your therapist will ensure your safety in continuing to process.
Reach out to us today!
The best way to schedule your complimentary 15-minute phone consultation is to fill out the contact form below. This will allow us to send you a few different available dates so that you can check your schedule and choose a time that’s best for you.
During your consultation, we will get to know more about what you’re looking for and better understand if we can help you. We can also answer any questions you might have or you can visit our FAQ page. If you and your therapist agree you are a good fit for one another, we will offer to schedule your intake.