EMDR Therapy
Stuck? Triggered? Feeling like you just can’t move past a certain pattern? having flashbacks? nightmares? Feel like you have no control over your emotions...
As kiddos, our brains are like sponges, we pick up what we see and hear in the world around us. We are exposed to a variety of experiences and modeling by our caregivers, that develop and inform our core beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. Sometimes these experiences are stored unconsciously influencing our intimate, familial, and interpersonal relationships as well as beliefs around money, career, sex, gender, religion, rules, emotional expression and so much more. With the amount of information that is stored unconsciously, it can lead us to repetitive and destructive patterns that leave us feeling;
Stuck
Alone
Broken
As though you can’t trust anyone
Hopeless
Shameful or Guilty
Misunderstood
Like no one can help me…..
These feelings along with many others can be disruptive to our everyday lives. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of therapy that enables you to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. EMDR therapy is clinically studied and proven to help individuals desensitize past trauma, no matter how big or small. Many assume that they are stuck with a life experience, or that it will take a very long time to heal. When you cut your hand, your body knows how to heal the wound. In a similar way, our brains need assistance in removing blocks that are not allowing the brain to heal itself. EMDR will help you remove mental blocks, mental loops, negative patterns to engage your natural healing process, allowing for the creation of new pathways in the brain.
So how does EMDR work?
EMDR is an 8-phase process, during which you are totally awake and aware. Together through 8 phases, we will utilize Bilateral Stimulation (BLS), through tapping, eye movement, or sound to desensitize old memories, images, feelings, thoughts around events that have happened in your life that continue to make you feel stuck. The phases establish a safe and measured environment conducive to moving through your past experiences. Our minds have the power to overcome, EMDR helps the brain know it’s safe while doing so. The phases look a little like this;
Phase 1: The first phase is a history-taking session(s).
Phase 2: During the second phase of treatment, the therapist ensures that the client has several different ways of handling emotional distress. This is done by developing resources (tools) for the client to be able to use inside and outside of the session for emotional regulation. A goal of EMDR therapy is to produce rapid and effective change while the client maintains equilibrium during and between sessions.
Phases 3-6: In phases three to six, a target event or memory is identified and reprocessing is initiated with the help of BLS (Bilateral Stimulation) and other unique EMDR techniques.
Phase 7: Every session of reprocessing ends with the seventh phase, closure, in which the client is assisted to return to a state of calm in the present moment whether the reprocessing is complete or not.
Phase 8: This phase consists of examining the progress made thus far and reflecting on the work that's been done through unique reevaluation. Future targets are focused on for continued treatment.
Recovery is possible…
Hundreds of studies have been done proving that EMDR really works, and it works fast. Recovery from long-term, complex or simple trauma, experiences, patterns is possible. The goal isn’t to change the past (if I only had a time-traveling machine), but to unburden you from the distress, stuck-ness, yuck that you are experiencing in your present-day life so that you may live a full life. For a list of studies on EMDR, take a look here. Additionally, take a look at an article written in the New York Times by the founder of EMDR here. EMDR has become one of the top treatment options for posttraumatic stress disorder and several other mental health challenges.
I’m here to help you through this!
Maybe you’re interested in EMDR Therapy but aren’t quite sure if it’s right for you just yet.
I’ve outlined some of the most asked questions about EMDR Therapy to help bring you some clarity.
Frequently Asked Questions about EMDR Therapy
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This is the biggest question that people ask me when they first call, and to which every therapist, including myself wishes they had a crystal ball to be able to give you an answer. With any good EMDR therapist, they will tell you they don’t know how long—at least not yet. What I can tell you is EMDR therapy truly is a remarkable and thorough therapy, that has the potential to be faster acting then other therapies offered.
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A large myth about EMDR is that EMDR starts on day 1 of our first session. In a lot of ways, yes the process of EMDR starts the moment the client walks in the door, but the BLS (Bilateral Stimulation) doesn’t happen in the first session. It would actually be a disservice to a client to start reprocessing memories during the first session as it is so integral to build rapport, learn resources and psychoeducation around EMDR to be set up for success. I always will need to ensure those things are in place before proceeding to the processing, and so the time may vary for each client and typically doesn’t start until at lease a few weeks into the therapy, and in some cases not for a few months.
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Yes! absolutely. In fact, I was actually trained in online EMDR by Maiberger Institute here in Boulder. I have multiple clients whom I conduct online EMDR sessions with and have found the same success they would being online as if they were in-person.
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EMDR is great for PTSD, and is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD, but that is not the only mental health issue that it helps. EMDR therapy can be used very effectively with depression, anxiety, grief, phobias, dependence, relationships, eating issues, body image, and more.
Although there are many myths about EMDR, it is a powerful form of therapy that can create deep and lasting resolution from difficult and traumatic experiences. Each client treated with EMDR therapy is unique and comes to the therapy with different circumstances and early attachment and developmental experiences. As a result, the experience of the EMDR therapy will be unique to each person, even though the results of the treatment, a shifting of trauma triggers and maladaptive behaviors over to more adaptive ways of feeling, behaving and experiencing, are common among clients.
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The reality is that EMDR can be a difficult process as you will be guided by your therapist in discussing painful memories. However, safeguards are also built into the EMDR process to ensure that the process does not become overwhelming and the patient can stop the process at any time. Your therapist will teach you multiple relaxation and visualization techniques you can assess any time during reprocessing. These techniques can also be used outside of session if you are feeling distressed.
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EMDR can help resolve any past distressing event. Anything from a public speaking phobia, bad breakup, grief to job stress. EMDR helps with a wide-spectrum of issues. Feelings of depression, fear, and anxiety can actually be rooted in trauma or past adverse life events, so healing the trauma will help reduce these feelings as well.
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When painful memories are avoided, they keep their disturbing power. While flashback or nightmares can feel like the original trauma, you don’t have to live with this forever. EMDR works in a way to relieve symptoms so you don’t have to keep reliving them every day life. In therapy, and with EMDR, you can face the memory in a safe setting, so that you do not feel overwhelmed. Then you can get through it and move on.
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Use your support system. Knowing who you can reach out to when you need to talk is key.
Engage in some kind of stress reducing body movement each day. Our bodies store our trauma physically as well as emotionally. Try to stretch, walk, hike or do yoga each day.
Try to get into the habit of taking ten minutes each day to practice breathing exercises or meditation. We will teach you more of these skills in session, but to get ready, there are many videos and podcasts that can help guide you in this relaxing process.
Take the Next Step…
Stress and trauma can take a toll on your mind, body and overall life. It can start to feel like a roadblock when it comes to finding closure and gaining freedom from your own mental loops or negative patterns.
EMDR therapy can bring you clarity, and set you up with the right tools to be able to manage the hinduring emotions and feelings that come with trauma.
Think EMDR therapy might be a good fit? Contact me for a free consultation today to learn more about how I can help.
Offering online counseling and phone calls in Boulder, CO. Learn more about the HIPAA compliant Telehealth therapy.
Katie Received her EMDR Training Through the Maiberger Institute.
This EMDRIA approved EMDR Training is facilitated by Barb Maiberger, MA, LPC — the author of “EMDR Essentials: A Guide for Clients and Therapists” and the co-author of “EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology: Interventions to Enhance Embodiment in Trauma Treatment.”