EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing)
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Experiencing trauma can leave a mark on your life and it can affect the way that you function on a day-to-day basis. It can affect your emotions, thoughts, memories, your body responses, and even your beliefs. Sometimes it may even feel as if there is no way to get past what you are experiencing. But thankfully, trauma treatment is accessible and effective. You may or may not have heard of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing which is also known as EMDR. This form of therapy was created in 1987 by Dr. Francine Shapiro as a way to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. This psychotherapy is still widely used today to bring healing to wounds that have been caused by disturbing life experiences. The healing process for trauma can take a really long time, especially when it is not handled.
There are eight phases in our EMDR treatment and they are:
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In phase one of the treatment, your therapist will speak with you about the targets of your distress and create a treatment plan to transform your skills and behavior towards the trauma. In phase two, we teach our clients different ways to handle the stress related to the trauma that they can use in and out of sessions. In phases three through six, we have the client identify three things: the vivid visual imagery related to the memory, a negative belief about self, and related emotions and body sensations. We also have the client think about a positive belief and rate that as well as the negative emotions intensity. The client is then asked to focus on the negative thoughts and emotions and simultaneously engage in bilateral stimulation, which is tapping, tones, and making eye movements. Then we allow the client to share whatever is being experienced. After each set of being stimulated, we allow the client to go back to “blank” thoughts and notice whatever emotion, thought, and sensation is coming up. This will happen numerous times during a session and allows us to focus on what is next, depending on the client. If the client is too distressed to continue, we have a procedure to help get them back on track. When no distress is experienced relating to the memory, we ask the client to pick a positive belief and remember that for their next time of distress. In phase seven, the client is asked to keep a log of their week and anything that may arise that is related to the trauma. This is to remind the client of their ability to self-calm. In phase eight, we examine the progress that has been made between sessions. We process all of the history related to the trauma, current incidents that may cause the stress, and any future events/moments that will need a different response.
With EMDR we tap into all of the layers of trauma that an individual may be experiencing and we believe that with each phase of the treatment comes breakthrough.
With EMDR we tap into all of the layers of trauma that an individual may be experiencing and we believe that with each phase of the treatment comes breakthrough.