EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories (Shapiro, 1989a, 1989b). It is an evidence-based approach that had been shown to be effective in treating trauma, PTSD, mood and anxiety disorders, low self-esteem, phobias, grief, loss, and more. It is an alternative to traditional talk therapy or can be used as a supplemental modality.
holistic mental wellness
EMDR Therapy
what is it?
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a widely-studied trauma-focused therapy. After a person experiences trauma, they often have a difficult time processing what happened. Disturbing events can get stuck in the brain in the form of images, thoughts, feelings and body sensations. EMDR helps individuals process their trauma, which can aid in the brain’s natural healing process.
how does it work?
Traumatic memories can get compartmentalized in the right hemisphere of the brain. EMDR is an individual therapy typically delivered one to two times per week for a total of 6-12 sessions. EMDR therapy uses a structured eight-phase approach that includes:
Phase 1: History-taking
Phase 2: Preparing the client
Phase 3: Assessing the target memory
Phases 4-7: Processing the memory to adaptive resolution
Phase 8: Evaluating treatment results
Typical session
After a comprehensive assessment, the initial phases of EMDR Therapy tend to focus on resource development to strengthen the neural networks associated with positive sensations, emotions, and cognitions. Once the foundation is built, the Desensitization Phase incorporates the dual awareness state, in which you maintain awareness of your present moment experiences while simultaneously recalling memories of the traumatic event.
Benefits
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Emotional Balance
Research has demonstrated that EMDR Therapy successfully reduces the vividness, somatic arousal, and emotional intensity associated with distressing memories (Barrowcliff et all., 2004; van den Hout et al., 2013).
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Neural Rewiring
“EMDR Therapy changes maladaptive neural networks by connecting the traumatic memory with new information. The distressing thoughts and emotions are blended with new positive thoughts and emotions; embodied awareness allows frozen sensations in the body to resolve through healing movements.”
-Arielle Schwartz
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Talk alternative
EMDR therapy is an accelerated form of therapy, meaning that what other therapeutic approaches may accomplish in many sessions, EMDR can accomplish in significantly fewer sessions. It is also a type of therapy that doesn’t require talking about the details of the actual trauma; rather, participants are asked to think of the trauma and describe what they experience when they think about it.