Trauma & EMDR

Life is complicated.  Sometimes beyond what we want or can imagine.  Yet we are truly creative, adaptable people who sometimes surprise ourselves by what we accomplish & survive.  Still the "sparkle and shine" of living  is too often short lived and when "darkness sets in", we may feel lost, stuck & hopeless.  

Over time those painful emotions might feel unshakeable.  So it is a relief to know negative emotions, feelings and behaviors are generally caused by unresolved earlier experiences.  Though they may not be fully conscious you sense "something is off".  And later life experiences may evoke  "trauma responses" which add struggle to daily living. The goal of EMDR therapy is to completely process the experiences that are causing problems, and to integrate new ones needed for full health.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

 is a powerful psychotherapy that facilitates the left brain-right brain integration of negative experiences.

EMDR is an evidenced-based approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. Although EMDR was originally developed to treat trauma and PTSD, EMDR therapy has helped millions of people relieve many different types of psychological stress, including:

· Anxiety and panic attacks

· Fear

· Depression

· Stress

· Phobias

· Eating Disorders

· Sleep problems

· Grief

· Relationship loss

· Addictions

· Self-esteem

EMDR uses a set of standardized protocols and integrates a variety of therapeutic modalities, including bi-lateral eye movements. By replicating the brain’s natural process during REM sleep, these eye movements help the brain in processing difficult memories that are still causing distress. “Processing” does not mean talking about it. “Processing” means setting up a learning state that will allow the experiences that

 are causing problems to be “digested” and stored appropriately in the brain. That means that what 

is useful from an experience will be learned, and stored with appropriate emotions in the brain, 

while inappropriate emotions, beliefs, and body sensations will be discarded.

The amount of time the complete treatment takes depends upon the history of the client. Complete treatment of the targets involves a three-pronged protocol (1-past memories, 2-present disturbance, 3-future actions) that is needed to fully alleviate symptoms and address the complete clinical picture.

EMDR can be most effective when incorporated into a 80-minute session. 

However, when necessary EMDR can be utilized in a 50-minute session. 

For more information visit EDMRIA.org.