Francine Shapiro
What is EMDR Therapy and How Does it Work?
EMDR Therapy, or "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing,” is a scientifically-proven and effective way to recover from trauma. It can also be used to help people find relief from anxiety, grief, and other forms of distress. When you’re experiencing a traumatic event or emotionally charged situation, your brain has a hard time processing the information. As a result, you may feel like your memories, feelings and sensations are “stuck” inside your head. When you can’t tell the difference between things that happened in your past and what’s happening in your present, it can lead to distress in your everyday life.
EMDR therapy connects the left and right sides of your brain, kickstarting the brain's natural ability to heal and process information. This allows you to separate intense emotions from your memories, so they can be “reprocessed” and become part of your past. The therapy begins by teaching you how to ground yourself, and then gradually breaks down the tough stuff into smaller, more manageable chunks. If traditional talk therapy hasn't worked for you, EMDR therapy may be an alternative approach that can help.
EMDR involves bilateral stimulation, which calms the brain and nervous system and allows you to fully process memories and rewire new pathways in your brain and body. We use bilateral stimulation in EMDR to provide feedback to your brain and body. We can do this in several ways:
I know this all might sound a little strange, but we explain all this thoroughly during your sessions and you have control over what kind of bilateral stimulation is used. We can even conduct EMDR online and use a special software so you can listen to alternating sounds in your ears or track a ball moving back and forth on your computer screen. This is a collaborative process and your therapist will help you find the method(s) you feel most comfortable with.
During an EMDR session, you will be asked to close your eyes or look at the floor or any point in the office that is away from the therapist’s face. Your therapist will sit quietly, tracking your progress, facial expressions, and movements as you process. Most people sit quietly with their eyes closed and we carefully look for nuances that indicate your processing shifted or changed. We will periodically ask, “What did you notice?” You will provide a few words to describe where you are in your processing and we’ll reply with, “Let’s go with that.”
This will continue until you fully process the memory, feel calm, relaxed, and more self-confident.
This process is the same for an online EMDR session, except your therapist watches you closely on a computer or tablet screen. It is possible to do EMDR therapy online and your therapist will help you decide on a space in your home that is quiet, well lit to have your EMDR sessions. You can even have your dog, cat, or other emotional support animal present (as long as it isn’t too distracting), soothing essential oils, or fidget toys to use during your online EMDR session.
In our sessions, you will learn to slow down and use skills that help keep you from becoming overwhelmed. Clients describe our therapists as calm and accepting and feel supported as they make changes. Our clients develop self-compassion during our work together and feel calmer and more grounded in their day-to-day life. We have therapists who are certified by EMDRIA to provide EMDR who understand how anxiety, trauma, and addictions that impact the brain. If you are tired of waiting on the people or circumstances around you to change, and ready to take control of your own life…
Schedule your free 20-minute phone consultation to start the process of healing on your own with EMDR therapy
EMDR therapy starts with History Taking and Preparation. During the History Taking stage, we will discuss your past experiences. Remember, you are in control- you don’t need to share anything you don’t feel ready to share. We will then create a roadmap and answer any questions that you may have. The next step is the Preparation stage, which is the fancy way of saying that you will develop coping strategies and strengthen your ability to cope with distress.
Absolutely! EMDR therapy focuses on helping people who experience stress, and anxiety is a big part of that. Following a traumatic event, individuals often develop negative self-beliefs, a pattern that also occurs with anxiety. EMDR therapy effectively addresses negative anxious experiences by helping you think more positively about yourself and letting go of those negative thoughts.
Take the first step towards a happier and healthier life. Contact us today to schedule your first appointment.
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