EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy to help you reclaim your life.
Build a Deeper Connection
Have you or a loved one experienced a dramatic or traumatic event in your life? Has it stopped you from moving on with your life or prevented you from enjoying life to the fullest? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy may be able to help you reclaim your life, make sense of your experiences, and provide a new start in your life.
EMDR is a type of therapy that provides an opportunity for people to heal after a traumatic event that causes severe emotional distress and physical symptoms of distress. There is much evidence to suggest that this type of therapy can greatly reduce the likelihood of symptom return and improve a client’s life. While it might not feel like you are ever going to overcome the feelings of loss, anger, sadness, or guilt, there is a way, and EMDR can help.
What is Involved in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy?
We have found that once a client is able to identify the source of the dismay in their lives, they can begin the healing process. Often what happens is a person will continue to allow the feelings to fester and that prevents healing from taking place. Our therapy process involves helping you move your thoughts away from defeat and toward a place of healing. We’ll work closely with you to identify what is stopping you from regaining control over your life and help you lay the pathways for success. Our modern and welcoming therapy space will make you feel at ease and provide you with the space you need to work through the dramatic and traumatic experiences in your life without judgment and with plenty of support.
The treatment plan for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing involves a specific sequence of events to help you identify and manage your thoughts and emotions surrounding a traumatic event. The sessions include the following sequence of events:
- A session to collect information about the past, present and future events related to you and the specific incident in question
- A session to provide you with coping mechanisms to handle emotional stress related to the incidents in question
- Sessions 3, 4, 5 and 6 are designed to identify and target vivid memories related to the incident, identify negative self-beliefs, and identify body emotions and sensations that arise as a result of identifying such beliefs and memories.
- Next, a session is scheduled to plan for journaling
- Finally, a session is held to regroup and plan for the future
What Can You Expect From EMDR Therapy?
Many studies have been conducted to prove the effectiveness of EMDR Therapy. We have also seen a positive impact on clients who come to us suffering from traumatic stress disorders, dramatic experiences, and more. Some of the statistics related to EMDR are staggering and promote a sense of possibility amongst people who feel there is no possibility of feeling better. For example, one study was able to help 77% of participants overcome Post-traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms after just six, hour-long sessions. Other studies have shown that combat veterans were able to resume a normal life after suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in about three months.
The research, and the cases we’ve worked with have shown that there is hope. While EMDR is a relatively new concept in the therapy world – it’s just 20 years old – it has proven an effective tool in the fight against the negative impacts of trauma or dramatic experiences in one’s life.
The treatment plan will vary from person to person, but the core programming is the same for everyone. Each client will participate in at least eight sessions or phases to begin to identify specific traumatic events that are holding space in the client’s mind. During each phase, additional work is done to tease out the experience and dissect the incident in order to understand the psychology impacts it is having on a person’s life. Using a series of hand gestures and targeting specific memories, therapists are able to help clients overcome those feelings and thoughts associated with the events and experiences that they carry.
As we sleep, our brains process everything we learned throughout the day and continue to make meaning of our experiences as we sleep. During our Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stages of sleep, our brain internalizes the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that are associated with our experiences. Therapists can draw out that same experience while the client is awake, which causes them to confront those feelings in real time. This allows clients to process feelings and thoughts on an emotional level and transform defeating thoughts, such as “I deserved to be fired” to “I made a mistake and will learn from it.” Holding a space where a person can feel compassion for themselves and make meaning of their experiences is an important part of the therapist’s job, and it makes a huge difference in the lives of many people who suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and more.
What is Involved in Each Phase of EMDR Therapy?
The treatment plan for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing involves a specific sequence of events to help you identify and manage your thoughts and emotions surrounding a traumatic event. The sessions include the following sequence of events:
- A session to collect information about the past, present and future events related to you and the specific incident in question
- A session to provide you with coping mechanisms to handle emotional stress related to the incidents in question
- Sessions 3, 4, 5 and 6 are designed to identify and target vivid memories related to the incident, identify negative self-beliefs, and identify body emotions and sensations that arise as a result of identifying such beliefs and memories.
- Next, a session is scheduled to plan for journaling
- Finally, a session is held to regroup and plan for the future
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