EMDR? What is it?
How can EMDR help you?
As a therapist, I often work with clients who feel stuck in painful memories or overwhelming emotions. One of the most effective therapies I’ve used to help people move out of traumatic events is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR.
EMDR is a structured, evidence-based therapy used help individuals process and heal from trauma or distressing life events. It’s not talk therapy, EMDR doesn’t require you to elaborate on the traumatic event. Instead, it focuses on helping the brain reprocess memories in a way that doesn’t stay stored in your body and although it doesn’t take away the traumatic event it reduces the activation in your body.
During EMDR sessions, I guide clients through a series of eye movements or other forms of bilateral, such as tapping or auditory tones. During the bilateral I will what we call “activate” an agreed upon specific memory by talking about it and then using bilateral in silence and begin to let the brain to naturally work through emotions and feelings that are stored in the body.
EMDR is hard work but it can be an empowering experience that allows you to get control back and identify how those experiences have been stored in your body and allow you the time and space to sort out the heavy boxes of trauma that you are carrying.
If you’ve been feeling weighed down by past experiences and want a different approach to healing, EMDR could be the right fit for you. As a therapist, I’ve witnessed how it can transform lives and allow people get their lives back and no longer being stuck in the past.
Here are some youtube videos that further describe it.