EMDR can help you resolve the roots of your distress, get unstuck, make progress, and feel better.
WHAT IS EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, evidence-based, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from loss, trauma, and other distressing life experiences including PTSD, anxiety, chronic pain, as well as panic and fear. EMDR has also been shown to help clients move past creative blocks and enhance performance in the arts and in sports.
HOW IS EMDR THERAPY DIFFERENT?
EMDR is different than talk therapy because it involves the body, mind, and spirit. Rather than focusing on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue, EMDR allows the brain to resume its natural healing process. Sometimes we can feel hijacked by our emotions and we’re not sure why we’re having such big reactions. EMDR helps to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. As a result, we end up feeling differently after EMDR and the triggering stimuli don’t continue to affect in us the same way. For many clients, because it is symptom-focused, EMDR therapy can be completed in fewer sessions than other psychotherapies.
“In addition to the treatment of PTSD, EMDR is also used to treat the psychological effects of smaller traumas that manifest in symptoms of depression, anxiety, phobias, low self-esteem, creativity blocks, and relationship difficulties. Not only does healing occur much more rapidly than in traditional therapy, but as a result of EMDR’s clearing of emotional and physical blockages, many people also experience a sense of joy, openness, and deep connection with others. EMDR is a quantum leap in the human ability to heal trauma and maladaptive beliefs.”—Parnell Institute
EXPERIENCING EMDR THERAPY
After the therapist and client agree that EMDR therapy is a good fit, the client will work through the 8 phases of EMDR therapy with their therapist. Attention will be given to an image, negative belief, and body feeling related to this issue, and then to a positive belief that would indicate the issue was resolved.
Often, an EMDR therapy session lasts about 90 minutes but can be done in 50-minutes. Bilateral stimulation—a key component of EMDR—is provided via an online program, auditory sounds using your phone, or by having clients tap on themselves. No equipment need be purchased. EMDR therapy may be used within a standard talking therapy, as an adjunctive therapy with a separate therapist, or as a treatment all by itself.
Please see the Helpful Info page for videos, books, and more information about EMDR.
EMDR and THE BRAIN
Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help.
Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create feelings of overwhelm, of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories, and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.
EMDR IS RECOGNIZED
The American Psychiatric Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs/Dept. of Defense, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the World Health Organization among many other national and international organizations recognize EMDR therapy as an effective treatment. (from emdria.org website)
(Information from www.emdria.org)
“Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going inside ourselves.”
EMDR Informational Videos
How Does EMDR Work? Can It Help Me?
from the EMDR Movie with Bessel van der Kolk
Introduction to EMDR Therapy
Your Best Brain, Your Best Options What is EMDR?
Understanding Trauma: Learning Brain vs Survival Brain. This video was created for teachers, about the brain and trauma.
Books/Articles
Getting Past Your Past by Francine Shapiro
Tapping In by Laurel Parnell
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
Prince Harry is doing a special trauma therapy called EMDR. It worked for me, The Guardian by Christina Wyman, Jun 16, 2021
In a Crisis, We Can Learn From Trauma Therapy, New York Times by Eva Holland, June 15, 2020—NY Times