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EMDR therapy
“There’s a world out there. Open a window, and it’s there.”
– Robin Williams
Are you wondering if emdr therapy is for you?
- Has the Coronavirus made you feel like you’re losing control of things in your life?
- Are you having panic attacks or off the chart anxiety?
- Have you been through a traumatic or stressful experience and it’s impacting your life everyday? You even wonder if you have PTSD?
- Are you having nightmares?
- Do you find yourself being scared or having many fears?
- Are you feeling your emotions and behaviors are all over the place?
Does the world feel like an overwhelming and scary place? Or maybe you find yourself isolating? You might even be having thoughts of suicide?
Perhaps, you feel as though life will never be what it used to be. And, with the entry of Covid-19 in your life things have only gotten worse? You might tell yourself “Tomorrow will be easier” only to find yourself fighting with the same issues the next day.
It’s hard living day by day and hour by hour looking for answers. . . asking yourself repeatedly “Why is life like this?” I’m guessing you are losing hope if you haven’t lost it already. And you’re tired of searching for help, support, and encouragement from family and friends who just don’t understand.
Do any of these things sound familiar as though I’m describing your life?
If your answer is Yes, you’ve found the right place. EMDR therapy may be part of your solution.
EMDR therapy can be quite confusing. . .
You might be wondering what is EMDR? And you may have found yourself looking for EMDR therapy without any understanding of why?
So, I want to offer a few tips to ease your confusion before we jump into what the process of EMDR therapy looks like while working with me.
First, I’m guessing you have found yourself on this page either by a referral from your therapist, a friend talking about their EMDR experience, or from doing your own research. You might have gone the route of talk therapy and found it’s not working for you?
Sometimes, the confusion happens in the very beginning with a referral. Friends, family members, and even mental health professionals not trained in EMDR might be a little unclear as to how EMDR works. You might come to this page or to an EMDR session with the expectation you will immediately jump into it. The truth is there’s quite a few steps that need to happen before we dive into the deep end. It is a process and like any other form of therapy a foundation needs to happen.
Second, EMDR isn’t an intervention just for traumatic experiences such as sexual assault or war. You see, EMDR therapy has been clinically studied and proven effective for so many issues including but not limited to phobias and fears, complicated grief, performance anxiety, addiction, abuse experiences, and chronic pain.
Finally, people that have experienced EMDR have a hard time explaining what happens during an EMDR session. This happens for a few reasons. The exact process of how EMDR works isn’t exactly known. Even today the brain is such a puzzle which in turn makes EMDR somewhat of a puzzle. Next, there are many ways EMDR is done and each therapist may utilize different tools.
Wouldn’t you like to give EMDR a chance if it means there’s a chance at a different tomorrow? . . . . Let’s take a closer look
Not Just Another Day. . . .
I’ve been thinking about the month of September since May. And while I have more to say and continue from my last post something else is on my mind tonight. Today, September 10, is World Suicide Prevention Day. There’s a lot attached to this day. There are people out...
Now for the fun part! What is EMDR therapy and what can I expect?
First, it’s important for me to mention we’ll start by building the foundation of a successful therapy relationship and it will continue to grow throughout the process. You see the number one reason we’ll find success with EMDR is the relationship between you as the client and me as the therapist. You’ll learn to sit with me in vulnerability and I’ll learn which path will work best for us.
In short, EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy helps to change the way a memory or stressful event is stored in the brain and body. When a stressful event occurs, there’s an emotional charge that becomes attached to the memory. So, each time you experience something sensorially similar to these past experiences you will have a similar response in the present moment. It is often hard for a person to make these connections in their daily lives.
During an EMDR session, a method known as Bilateral Stimulation (tools to activate both the left and right sides of the brain) is also used. We might use eyes movements, auditory noises, hand-held buzzers, self-tapping, or a combination of these.
So where do we start you might be asking yourself??
My answer for this question is simple. . .. I start with the basics. I want to know everything there is about your patterns of sleeping, eating, hydrating (water), and exercise as well as any things you have already tried for relief. We’ll also talk about your symptoms including where, when, and how they show up in your daily life.
As we move along in our sessions, I’ll also provide you with some education. Sometimes the most basic solutions start with relearning something we think we understand. To start, I’ll teach you what symptoms are and how they are linked. I often find the biggest surprise for clients is where they start to make this connection and realize the whole time it’s nothing they are doing wrong. Next, I’ll show you the cause and effects of stress and how it shows up in our body. During these sessions, you’ll also learn skills for coping and regulation. The idea here is to gain and identify a sense of being able to stabilize yourself in times where things feel like they are spinning out of control or where you hit a high point of stress.
After we walk through these stages, we’ll move into the beginning stages of EMDR. We’ll identify memories, negative beliefs, or specific symptoms to target in our sessions. Once we get to a point where we can start the processing phase hold on tight as the work will start quickly.
A typical session will consist of a beginning check-in. Next, we’ll bring a memory or presenting problem to life. You will be asked to visualize any thoughts, body sensations, feelings, or images attached to the memory or problem. As you focus on all of these things, we will use bilateral stimulation. You will then be asked to share whatever comes up moving the memory or problem to new insights and decreasing the emotional charge attached to it. The session will end doing different exercises to be sure you leave the session feeling grounded and ready to back into daily activities.
Not quite ready to jump in yet? Do you have questions?
Can EMDR treatment really help me?
You might be unsure EMDR is for you. Can I promise you EMDR therapy will work for you? The honest answer is no I can’t, however, there’s no guarantee with any other counseling treatments or interventions. Here’s what I do know. I have seen it work firsthand professionally and personally.
It has been effective for people of all ages with all kinds of life problems. The list could go on and on but here’s a few examples of where EMDR has been proven effective: anxiety in social situations, sexual assault, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), chronic pain, fears and phobias, nightmares, addictions, abuse, and complicated or traumatic grief experiences. In my practice, I have found EMDR to be a powerful tool in fighting those experiences that cause us the most distress.
I am committed to giving it the best shot in order to get EMDR to work for us. I’ve been trained and continue to educate myself in the latest research and protocols.
Is EMDR online therapy effective?
Yes, EMDR is just as effective online as it is in person. I was trained in EMDR through telehealth and during that training I became confident in its effectiveness. I will do what I need to allow you to feel comfortable whether we do it through video or in-person.
How long does a typical EMDR session last?
My EMDR sessions are done over a 50-55-minute session. However, please know either you or I can stop the session at any point in time.
It’s time to take a step into calmer water. . . Together!
Let me share a little something with you. I’ve been on both ends of EMDR treatment. Yep, that’s right! I’ve been the client sitting there nervously on the couch wondering what to expect. I’ll admit I was even a little skeptical. And now, as a therapist I get to see the transformation it can make in my client’s lives… potentially in your life.
No one gets through life without having some difficult experiences. However, you do have a choice in how the lasting effects those experiences impact the rest of your life. The impact may be different for everyone, but EMDR therapy can be a piece of possibility. A piece and IMPRINT of a different future.
So What Do I Do Now? . . .
Interested in EMDR therapy and think we’d be a match? I’d love to support you in what’s next!
Contact me today for a free 15 minute phone consultation. . .