EMDR Therapy

What Is EMDR Therapy?

The brain has a natural, built-in ability to heal from trauma. EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a form of therapy that taps into this ability.

EMDR differs from talk therapy in its ability to use a series of gentle stimulation exercises to resolve emotional pain. It can relieve years of suffering and remove the blockages that prevent you from living more confidently. EMDR helps you reprocess traumatic memories so that you can file them away along with the rest of your memories. It takes you out of the past and allows you to feel present again.

There is a great deal of research on the success of EMDR. Both the American Psychological Association and World Health Organization recommend EMDR as one of the best approaches for trauma treatment.[1] According to many studies, about 77 to 90 percent of trauma survivors feel better after just three 90-minute sessions of EMDR therapy.[2]

Why Should I Choose EMDR And Who Can It Help?

Because it doesn’t require you to talk about trauma in detail, EMDR carries a very low risk of re-traumatization. With EMDR, you can share as much or as little as you want—the bilateral stimulation exercises do most of the work for you. EMDR focuses on clearing the underlying traumatic memory, not just the symptoms or triggers. It allows you to come to terms with the memory as well as address the impact that it has on your day-to-day life.

In my practice, I use EMDR to treat a variety of concerns including trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. EMDR can also be beneficial for athletes, first responders, and other people with demanding jobs and high-performance careers. Athletes and high-performance individuals frequently deal with stressful situations where they struggle to make decisions because of anxiety and past trauma. EMDR can help them improve their confidence and perform at a higher level.

How Does EMDR Therapy Work?

Before starting EMDR, you and I will come up with coping skills to help you stay grounded when you process painful memories. We can use imagery, meditation, breathwork, and anything else that makes you feel calm and centered. This way, you’ll have resources you can draw on to handle any emotional distress that comes up during sessions.

From there, we’ll begin the EMDR process and perform the bilateral stimulation techniques. You’ll hold your target memory in mind as we use audio and visual stimulation exercises to help you desensitize or neutralize the pain of your traumatic experience.  

Put another way, EMDR takes the emotion out of trauma. The stimulation exercises move your memories from the emotional side of the brain to the intellectual side. This helps you achieve a healthier, more rational perspective on your trauma. Moving forward, when you remember a traumatic experience, you don’t have to feel as anxious or overwhelmed.

How Can EMDR Therapy Benefit My Life?

The great thing about EMDR is that it’s a very structured, intensive form of therapy that lets you lead the way. Instead of relying on your therapist to provide all the growth and insight, you get to facilitate your own healing. This makes it much easier to take what you’ve learned from sessions and apply it to your everyday life.

Ultimately, EMDR can help you become more aware of the connections between your past and present and understand how your memories impact you physically and emotionally. It can give you the skills to address those memories and respond to them in a calmer, more grounded way.

EMDR Can Help You Become Your Own Therapist

I started using EMDR to give people with trauma and PTSD another tool that they can use to improve their lives. So much suffering in life stems from past experiences. I believe that the key to healing lies in processing and resolving these experiences so that we can have a better tomorrow.

As an EMDR counselor, I want to help you gain the skills you need to be able to live happily and independently. After all, my goal is not for you to be with me forever—I want you to take what you learn and become your own therapist.

If you want to try EMDR therapy for yourself, you can use the contact form or call 720-309-5526 for a free 20-minute phone consultation. I look forward to hearing from you!