EMDR therapy – healing trauma

You’re not healing to be able to handle the trauma. You’re used to the trauma. You’re healing to be able to handle the joy.

Crystal Bennett Harris

As Dr Gabor Mate says, trauma is not what happened to you, it is what happened in your body and nervous system following a life experience. After years of working with trauma and offering somatic practices to help my clients process and regulate, I started my journey of becoming EMDR trained and I can offer you this therapy now while getting consultation myself for the first few months. EMDR therapy for healing trauma.

What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is an evidence-based psychotherapy treatment designed to help people heal from the emotional distress and symptoms associated with traumatic or distressing life experiences.

Developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, the therapy helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they are stored correctly and lose their overwhelming emotional charge. Not only has EMDR therapy been proven effective in reducing chronic symptoms resulting from trauma, the therapy benefits appear to be permanent.

How does it work?

Instead of relying heavily on traditional talk therapy, EMDR utilizes bilateral stimulation. While recalling a distressing memory, the patient simultaneously follows an external stimulus.

• Eye Movements: Usually following the therapist’s fast moving hand
• Other Stimulus: Rhythmic hand tapping on the knees area

This dual-attention process is believed to help engage both sides of the brain, allowing the brain to process the trauma and replace negative, trauma-based beliefs with positive, adaptive ones (e.g., changing “I am in danger” to “I am safe now”).

It is important to mention that like anything in therapy, you are fully in control at all times and I take your consent for every action before offering it.

While training to use EMDR, I experience it myself as a client, working on personal trauma, so I will be ready to understand the processes that your may experience yourself during our sessions together.

The Eight phases of EMDR

EMDR is a structured, multi-phase approach that generally works faster than many other traditional therapies:

1. History & Treatment Planning: The therapist assesses your history and identifies specific targets or memories to work on.
2. Preparation: You learn specific coping, grounding, and relaxation techniques to manage emotional distress.
3. Assessment: Identifying the target memory, associated negative emotions, physical sensations, and a desired positive belief.
4. Desensitization: Actively focusing on the memory while using bilateral stimulation.
5. Installation: Working to strengthen the desired positive belief until it fully replaces the negative one.
6. Body Scan: You are asked to scan your body to ensure there is no leftover physical tension tied to the traumatic memory.
7. Closure: Closing out the session to ensure you leave feeling stabilized and regulated.
8. Re-evaluation: Starting the next session by evaluating progress and addressing any new memories or shifts in perspective

Reach out to me if you have questions or if you want to embark on this healing journey of EMDR therapy and healing trauma. I have many things to offer that you may find very helpful.

Let’s have a chat! All questions are welcome. Check all other therapy services.