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Eye Close Up

“The past affects the present even without our being aware of it.”
― Francine Shapiro

EMDR Therapy

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy is one of the leading models of treatment for trauma therapy.

 

EMDR can also be effective in treating:

  • Anxiety

  • Panic Attacks

  • Depression

  • Phobias

"Why is EMDR so effective in treating trauma?"

 

When we experience trauma, it is like an overload to our nervous system and our brains are unable to fully process and store the incident properly in our long-term memory.

 

Instead, parts of the traumatic event end up stored in various areas of the brain easily available to the person in their current life. This is part of why people can experience triggers, flashbacks, or what we may call "reliving experiences." The brain cannot tell differentiate the past from the present so we feel and/or react to something as if the traumatic event is happening now.

The goal of EMDR is to locate, organize, and consolidate this information in the memory network so the brain can do it's job of filing it away as something that did happen instead of feeling like it is something that is happening right now. 

Clients who may benefit from EMDR often struggle with:

  • Particular thoughts or images they just can't shake

  • Feelings of being stuck

  • Low Self-Esteem

  • Deep feelings of Shame or Guilt over the Past

  • Always feeling On guard

  • Trouble Building Healthy Relationships

  • Knowing how they should respond to challenges but often reacting in the moment

  • Chronic pain/health issues

Clients often feel they are able to get "unstuck" in life. In addition to this, EMDR Therapy also allows us to access information and awareness that may not be readily available to us because of the traumatic event. For example, someone may feel like they are Not Safe or that they I'm Not Good Enough based on the traumatic history. EMDR helps clear away the neural connections that have been formed causing these beliefs so we can access more adaptable ones such as I'm Safe Now or I'm Good As I Am. 

EMDR Therapy helps our brains to separate the past from the present so that we can show up more calm, clear-headed, and in control of our feelings, thoughts, and responses to the world around us. Our EMDR therapists have undergone the gold standard of EMDR Therapy training having completed training approved by the EDMR International Association and/or Certified as an EMDR provider with EMDRIA.

Want to learn more about what it's like to work with an EMDR therapist?

Click below to watch a video from the EMDR International Association to learn more: 

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