EMDR

EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) helps us to “re-process” upsetting or repeated events that caused us to develop negative beliefs about ourselves such as“I am weak” “I have to be perfect” “I’m not good enough.”

EMDR is a structured therapy that will encourage you to focus briefly on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which fosters a reduction in the intensity of present day symptoms and trauma memories.

There are eight phases to EMDR therapy: initial history discovery and treatment planning, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and re-evaluation.

After we agree that EMDR therapy is the best fit method for you, the beginning sessions will involve discussing what you want to work on and improving your ability to tolerate distress. When your nervous system and you are ready for the next phases of EMDR, I will ask you to focus on a specific experience (a symptom, a sensation in the body, a memory, an emotion, etc.). As your therapist, I will guide you to focus your attention on the image, belief, emotion, and body feelings related to this experience and then side-to-side eye movements are implemented to support the re-processing of the experience. The sets of eye movements are repeated until you experience a sense of resolve in you mind, body and soul, however you have complete control to stop the process at any point if needed.

People who have completed EMDR have reported shifts in insight or changes in images, feelings, or beliefs regarding the event. EMDR therapy can be the focus of the work or can be used as an adjunctive tool to blend with other healing and growth methods.