Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
(EMDR)

What does EMDR treat?

EMDR is a form of psychotherapy that allows people to heal from the emotional impact of difficult life experiences.

Trauma refers to any event or circumstance that leads to emotional or physical harm. Some experiences are easily recognizable as trauma, such as assault, near-death incidents, natural disasters, and car accidents.

Other forms of trauma are not as overt but can significantly affect our lives. These forms of trauma include emotional neglect from caregivers, bullying, the divorce of parents, witnessing violence or frequent fighting, and workplace stress or harassment.

Trauma blocks brain processing.

Our brains, like our bodies, process information in a way that is constantly working to move toward wholeness. Healing from emotional wounds is similar to the process of healing physical injuries.

When a disturbing event (or repeated disturbing events) occurs, the information processing system in our brain becomes blocked. The event disrupts communication pathways in our brains. These pathways include the amygdala (the emotional alarm center), hippocampus (where memories are created and stored), and prefrontal cortex (which controls logic and thought).

The emotional and physical impacts of the traumatic event(s) remain in our bodies, thus causing repeated suffering and distressing symptoms despite time passing. These symptoms are often emotional such as persistent negative beliefs about oneself, and physical such as headaches, stomachaches, panic attacks, and chronic pain.

The impact of these experiences creates a filter with which you move through the world, holding onto beliefs like “I’m not good enough,” “I’m unlovable,” or “The world is not safe.”

EMDR helps remove the block.

Once we remove the block, our brain begins to heal. EMDR uses detailed protocols and procedures to help clients with that healing process.

EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, often in the form of back-and-forth movement, to help the brain make internal associations and reprocess past events. This reprocessing utilizes the biological mechanisms involved in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep for memory consolidation.

While the memory itself is not changed, the meaning of the memory and its emotional significance has become transformed. EMDR impacts the deeper brain structures, creating new insights and helping clients develop a sense of empowerment over the experiences, beliefs, and feelings that once caused suffering.

One client who experienced childhood emotional neglect and trauma had a historical belief, “I am broken.” This belief manifested in self-destructive behavior and perpetual feelings of inadequacy.

Following EMDR, she stated, “I know those things that happened to me were not my fault. I’m not broken; I have never been. For the first time, I not only can say that I am not broken, but I believe and feel it!”

Here are some questions clients ask.

Is EMDR evidence-based? A broad area of research supports the effectiveness of EMDR. The American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization, and the Department of Defense have accepted EMDR as the gold standard for treating trauma and other disturbing experiences.

Can EMDR be done virtually? Fortunately, EMDR has been adapted and proven effective in a virtual format. Both research and feedback from my clients indicate that EMDR is incredibly effective in reducing distress, clearing historical trauma and beliefs, and healing the nervous system when completed virtually.

EMDR can provide the relief you seek.

EMDR can provide incredible healing without having you talk about the most painful experiences of your life. Your brain processes what it needs to heal during EMDR and does not require you verbally to share the images or memories you process.

One client described EMDR in this way, “I spent my whole life feeling inadequate. Intellectually, I knew I was successful and worthy of good things, but I never felt that way deep down. After completing EMDR, I believe I am enough for the first time in my life.”

If you are ready for a breakthrough, EMDR may be the solution.

Contact me today for a free consultation to learn more.