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Helping your brain become unstuck.
What the heck is EMDR and how can it help me?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Research has proven that EMDR is a successful treatment for trauma, anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders. Maybe you’ve been curious about EMDR or you recently learned about it while watching Oprah interview of Prince Harry. If you have suffered a traumatic event, whether you can recall the details or not, EMDR may be the therapy that can finally provide you relief from the triggers that send your mind and body back into survival mode.
EMDR, like many PTSD treatments, was initially used to treat combat veterans who found retelling their stories to be retraumatizing. Using EMDR they were able to only provide small details to the clinician while processing the memory and desensitizing the body sensations and images associated with the trauma. Now EMDR is used to treat individuals with many kinds of trauma, including childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, accidents, medical trauma, etc.
In general, processing trauma using EMDR can be done in fewer sessions than talk therapy alone. Often, both are used, and this is where a good, trained clinician can help to guide the treatment process and find a treatment plan that meets all of your needs.
How does it work?
Sometimes when we experience something traumatic or distressing our brain gets stuck and does not move through the natural healing process. EMDR activates both sides of the brain at once to help us process the events and allows us to get out of the flight, fright, or freeze cycle that we have been stuck in. Much of our negative thought patterns and the behavior that accompanies them are a result of trauma responses. These trauma responses become a “normal” way of living for us and our nervous systems become overwhelmed. When this happens we find it difficult to feel joy and be present in our daily lives.
When using EMDR during telehealth sessions, your therapist will use special software to provide the bilateral stimulation. EMDR is a good fit for telehealth because like all trauma treatment it can be uncomfortable and difficult at times, but when you are able to be in the comfort of your own home or your favorite quiet space, the feelings of distress and anxiety are naturally lower. You can also bring your favorite comfort items into your space- maybe your dog or cat, favorite blanket, a favorite coffee mug with hot tea, or even your partner.
EMDR for anxiety and depression
When used to treat anxiety and depression, EMDR helps to change our negative thought patterns and beliefs and replace them with adaptive beliefs. For example, if a client grew up in a household where they were neglected or did not feel valued they may grow up to believe that they are not worthy of love. When you think you are not worthy of the love you may experience depression and anxiety in your daily life. You may have developed behaviors like co-dependency or people-pleasing as a way to feel validated by others. Using EMDR, a person can begin to replace the belief, “I am not worthy,” with “I have value.” When a person’s thoughts are reframed in this way, their behavior begins to reflect that and they can develop a healthier relationship with themselves and others.
