EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

Running on Automatic

Sometimes there is an intense trauma that does not lessen over time; or when you feel the effect of the trauma, there is such a powerful trigger that it is hard to cope.

You may even have experienced some incidents that you had not realized were impacting your daily living and suddenly you realize you have been running on automatic and are charged with an overwhelming sense of emotion. Your body and brain are struggling to deal with it. You may be feeling hopeless about this, but read on and you will see that it does not need to continue to be this way.

How does EMDR work?

Whether we have experienced major traumas or small setbacks, we are all influenced by our memories and experiences that we may not recall or fully understand. The hardwiring of our brains influences our minds.

EMDR is a treatment approach that is compatible and can supplement all types of psychotherapy.

It targets the unprocessed memories that contain the negative emotions, sensations and beliefs that hold us back in healthy daily living. It gets to the part of the mid brain holding the trauma or adverse life experience and helps to push out the information that is stored in that area which creates the anxiety, depression or fears around the event.

In my work in EMDR, I become a partner with you to facilitate healing and helping to remove unprocessed traumas or negative experiences to bring you some relief.

In a successful EMDR session, a person no longer relives the images, sounds and feelings when the event comes to mind. You discard them and reprocesses the experience. Basically, what is useful is learned, what is useless is discarded and the memory is now stored in a way that is less damaging.

I would work with you to address a specific problem as a focus of the treatment. We would revisit the negative experience or trauma, the feelings about the experience, and any negative thoughts or feelings and incorporate new education, skills and positive perspectives into the memory network. During our session, you may experience a reduction in the disturbance immediately or it may happen over time. Each client is different and processes information uniquely.

What are some types of issues EMDR addresses?

EMDR not only addresses PTSD and recent traumatic events, but can be used to explore other types of issues such as:

• Self Esteem
• Grief/Loss
• Anxiety
• Unhealthy Relationship patterns
• Parenting
• Phobias/Fears
• Weight issues

How long does EMDR take?

The amount of time depends on each client’s unique situation. It is important to first meet for a few sessions to establish a space of trust and safety with me. During this time, I will understand your history and the nature of your situation to determine if EMDR is the appropriate treatment for you.

Once we decide this is the right modality, we begin with a preparation phase and move forward through the phases from there. The number of sessions would depend on the past memories contributing to the problem, type and amount of trauma, life circumstance, and time you may need that feels comfortable with the EMDR process.

Contact me to set up a consultation to discuss EMDR as an option and explore if it is right for you!