EMDR Therapy
When the typical paths aren’t getting you closer to your goals, it might be time to try a new appraoch.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a powerful and efficient treatment for trauma. It uses bilateral stimulation (i.e. stimulation that goes from one side of your body to the other) to help you stay safely grounded in the present and help your brain make connections between traumatic memories and more adaptive (helpful) brain networks. I think of it like this: traumatic memories are papers sticking out of a drawer, blocking the drawer from closing all the way. EMDR helps your brain file the papers where they belong and get rid of any unnecessary junk (e.g. negative beliefs about yourself), so the drawer can finally close! EMDR does not get rid of any memories. It helps your brain make sense of them and move on.
If you and I decide this treatment is best for you, we will find the best type of bilateral stimulation that works for you. I often use hand “tappers” during in-person sessions. I find these are more comfortable for many people than rapid eye movements. So (contrary to the name) it does not always involve eye movements!
EMDR has helped my clients reprocess a wide range of distressing experiences. A particular benefit of EMDR is that it can help target emotions, body sensations, and core beliefs in a deeper way than we can typically access with talk therapy alone. As a therapist, I find EMDR work very rewarding as I have seen the unique path each person takes towards their own healing. I am there as a guide, but the healing truly happens within your own brain.
Please reach out today to learn more about EMDR therapy.