EMDR Therapy Sessions
EMDR
(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
is for treating post-traumatic disorders. This therapeutic tool replicates spontaneous eye movements that occur during sleep, with a
rapid left-to-right scanning. Its aim is to
“recodify” or “reprocess” the emotion,
shifting it into a positive or
neutral category.
EMDR sessions help people heal from traumatic and distressing experiences by changing the way the memory is stored in the brain.
EMDR sessions are effective for adults,
adolescents, and children
Reach out to us today!
EMDR Therapy Sessions Treating Trauma
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment specifically designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.
The EDMR method involves moving one's eyes in a specific way while processing traumatic memories.
Reprocessing helps "repair" the mental injury from traumatic memories resulting in one no longer reliving the experience and the related feelings become more manageable.
Our counselors are EMDR certified. The treatments can be scheduled as part of a patient's counseling sessions or scheduled as a separate session.
Because we are human, most of us have experienced trauma, or a disconnection to our essence in some way.
There are a few different ways to treat trauma. I’m trained in EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is the most researched treatment for PTSD.
In one study it was shown to be more effective at treating PTSD and depression than Prozac. EMDR has been successful for treating many problems and traumas such as: PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, phobias, grief, abuse, chronic pain, and addictions. EMDR is different than talk therapy, in fact it involves much less talking and more of you bravely holding the traumatic memory while letting your body process through the memory in a more adaptive way. When we experience a trauma, the brain stores the disturbing event in a memory network in a way that isolates it and prevents it from connecting with more useful, adaptive information. So instead of learning and resolving the memory, the old material just keeps getting triggered over and over again.
In another part of your brain, in a separate network, is most of the information you need to resolve it. It’s just prevented from linking up to the old stuff. Once we start processing with EMDR, the two networks can link up and new information can come to mind and resolve the old problems.
Once the new connections are made, the negative emotions should diminish. We know it can be scary to sit with these old traumatic memories, so one thing we want you to know is that by doing EMDR, we aren’t adding anything negative to what’s already there. Instead, we are opening up some neural pathways that will allow the tough negative stuff to drain out and diminish. This will help you resolve the memory. EMDR will not erase the memory rather you will be able to remember the story without all the emotional charge that was distressing before the treatment.
An interesting dynamic about EMDR is that it uses something we call the 'Dual Attention Stimulation', which we call DAS. DAS involves alternating stimulation on both sides of your body. This can be done by following the practitioners fingers, holding pulsers in both hands, or hearing small sounds alternating between both ears.
Researchers are still studying this, and so far, our best guess is that using DAS elicits an orienting response, which means that the DAS will immediately have a physiological and behavioral change as your body responds to the stimulation. This is really just a fancy way of saying that DAS can cause you to deeply relax, which will help those adaptive connections to happen.
When you’re doing EMDR, sometimes it can be a bit intense as you face these old memories, because you’ve been working so hard to not face it for all of these years. Think of it this way — the old stuff is effecting you in so many different ways every day —once we process through the old stuff, while some unpleasant sensation may arise during EMDR, that is a sign that the old material is leaving the nervous system.
The fact is that EMDR is one of the most research and validated techniques to process trauma. Patients like it because it is quick, effective, body and brain-based (doesn’t require considerable talking), comprehensive method with a success rate of 80-90%.
There are a few different ways to treat trauma. I’m trained in EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is the most researched treatment for PTSD.
In one study it was shown to be more effective at treating PTSD and depression than Prozac. EMDR has been successful for treating many problems and traumas such as: PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, phobias, grief, abuse, chronic pain, and addictions. EMDR is different than talk therapy, in fact it involves much less talking and more of you bravely holding the traumatic memory while letting your body process through the memory in a more adaptive way. When we experience a trauma, the brain stores the disturbing event in a memory network in a way that isolates it and prevents it from connecting with more useful, adaptive information. So instead of learning and resolving the memory, the old material just keeps getting triggered over and over again.
In another part of your brain, in a separate network, is most of the information you need to resolve it. It’s just prevented from linking up to the old stuff. Once we start processing with EMDR, the two networks can link up and new information can come to mind and resolve the old problems.
Once the new connections are made, the negative emotions should diminish. We know it can be scary to sit with these old traumatic memories, so one thing we want you to know is that by doing EMDR, we aren’t adding anything negative to what’s already there. Instead, we are opening up some neural pathways that will allow the tough negative stuff to drain out and diminish. This will help you resolve the memory. EMDR will not erase the memory rather you will be able to remember the story without all the emotional charge that was distressing before the treatment.
An interesting dynamic about EMDR is that it uses something we call the 'Dual Attention Stimulation', which we call DAS. DAS involves alternating stimulation on both sides of your body. This can be done by following the practitioners fingers, holding pulsers in both hands, or hearing small sounds alternating between both ears.
Researchers are still studying this, and so far, our best guess is that using DAS elicits an orienting response, which means that the DAS will immediately have a physiological and behavioral change as your body responds to the stimulation. This is really just a fancy way of saying that DAS can cause you to deeply relax, which will help those adaptive connections to happen.
When you’re doing EMDR, sometimes it can be a bit intense as you face these old memories, because you’ve been working so hard to not face it for all of these years. Think of it this way — the old stuff is effecting you in so many different ways every day —once we process through the old stuff, while some unpleasant sensation may arise during EMDR, that is a sign that the old material is leaving the nervous system.
The fact is that EMDR is one of the most research and validated techniques to process trauma. Patients like it because it is quick, effective, body and brain-based (doesn’t require considerable talking), comprehensive method with a success rate of 80-90%.