EMDR Therapy
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR Therapy stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (I know, it’s a lot of words) and it’s a specialized therapy that helps you process and heal from difficult memories.
You can think of your mind as a computer that gets overloaded with files— some of these files are painful experiences that cause the increase in stress, anxiety, or depressive symptoms.
In EMDR, we focus to “reorganize” or “clear out” those files. During the session, you'll think about a difficult memory while following a form of eye movements or tapping. This process helps your brain process the memory more effectively, like sorting out and filing away cluttered files so they no longer weigh you down.
By the end, the goal is for you to feel lighter and more in control, as those memories become less overwhelming.
Approach to EMDR
Emotions-Focused
In EMDR therapy, the process is emotion-focused, meaning you will identify and process emotional disturbance tied to the traumatic memories. By staying present with these emotions, the brain can work to heal an integrate the experiences, reducing their emotional intensity over time.
Somatic
You will focus on the body’s physical response and sensations as they relate to trauma and emotional distress. By noticing and addressing these sensations during reprocessing, you can release tension and stored trauma held in the body, towards healing .
Polyvagal Theory
Polyvagal theory approach in EMDR therapy focuses on understanding and regulating the nervous system’s response to stress and trauma. By incorporating techniques, it helps you move from states of hyperarousal or shutdown to a more balance and connected state.
Attachment-Focused
By integrating attachment principles, EMDR helps to process unmet needs or wound from past relationships, fostering a greater sense of security and connection in the present.
How does EMDR differ from traditional talk therapy?
EMDR is different from regular talk therapy because it focuses on helping the brain process and heal from traumatic memories.
In regular talk therapy, you usually talk about your feelings, thoughts, and experiences with your therapist to gain insight, develop coping skills and make changes in your life.
In EMDR, the focus is direct: it targets specific disturbing memories or experiences that are “stuck” in your brain and body. Instead of just talking about these memories, you will be guided to specifically process through emotions and physical body sensations. EMDR requires you to feel emotionally activated— meaning you revisit the emotional disturbance tied to the memory— so your brain can reprocess it. This helps you “unstuck” the memory and file it away properly, so it feels less overwhelming and distressing.
How do I know it’s working?
You know your healing when:
You release the emotional pain that you’ve held on for awhile
You stop intellectualizing your emotions and start to embrace them
You no longer feel triggered by the past memory or experience
You gain control over your triggers
You see your past as just a memory
You gain self-compassion for yourself
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Our very first appointment is focused on getting to know you! We will then create and review a comprehensive treatment plan to identify the focus for trauma therapy. The next couple of sessions are dedicated to help prepare you for desensitization/processing, where we will learn skills to help prepare you for feel grounded and stable.
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Yes! You get the same benefits if the session were done in-person. For my practice, I use an online tool to guide you through eye movements or incorporate tapping.
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You can begin to experience the benefits after the first processing session. Your brain will continue to process information in-between sessions.
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The length of treatment can really depend on what you want to address. It could take several months to several years to address past early childhood trauma, in comparison to a single traumatic event.
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Yes, I can provide adjunct EMDR sessions. Adjunct EMDR sessions will be specifically targeted and trauma-focused. When supplemented with regular talk therapy, adjunct EMDR sessions can be very beneficial to resolve specific issues.