Are you feeling stuck?
Do you feel like something inside you is blocking you from living?
We all have experiences that stick with us. They get stored in our memories, and usually, one or a few of our 5 senses gets stored along with it. Some experiences that stick are pleasant and some of them are upsetting. Experiences that threaten our life and security stick with us on deep levels. They are experiences such as violence, abuse, abandonment, and loss. A word we often use to describe these experiences is trauma. Trauma can be something that happened to you or someone you know. It could even be something you heard about on the news. EMDR is a therapy that can help.
EMDR Therapy
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is a therapy that helps people recover from upsetting or traumatic experiences. EMDR can help depression, anxiety, panic disorders, and PTSD. Your brain already has the tools it needs to heal. EMDR works by using the brain’s natural way of processing experiences to help heal.
EMDR Therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from different treatment approaches.
How Does EMDR Work?
Have you ever noticed that when someone is thinking about something their eyes move? It is sometimes up in the distance or back and forth. Or have you ever noticed when people are dreaming in a movie, you can see their eyes moving back and forth? That is because our brains, memories, and eye movements are connected. EMDR engages our eyes in scanning back and forth from left to right. This is called a bilateral movement. Bilateral movement uses both sides of our brains. When both sides of our brains are in use, we can process experiences in a way that impacts our whole mind and body.
EMDR therapy is an integrative psychotherapy and uses a technique called bilateral stimulation to repeatedly activate opposite sides of the brain. Therapists often use eye movements to facilitate the bilateral stimulation. These eye movements mimic the period of sleep referred to as rapid eye movement or REM sleep, and this portion of sleep is frequently considered to be the time when the mind processes the recent events in the person’s life.
EMDR seems to help the brain reprocess the trapped memories is such a way that normal information processing is resumed. Therapists often use EMDR to help clients uncover and process beliefs that developed as the result of relational traumas, or childhood abuse and/or neglect. For a more detailed explanation please visit EMDR Institute, Inc.
How is EMDR different from other kinds of therapy?
Most types of therapy help people process experiences through talking and writing. These are powerful tools. Sometimes people experience physical memories of trauma. They can’t find words to express what happened. Talking about an experience uses one side of the brain, but EMDR uses both sides of the brain. By using both sides of the brain people are able to connect to their emotions, thoughts, and bodies in a deep way. This way of processing experiences leads to healing that affects their whole person. After a few sessions of EMDR people often notice that their bodies feel different. They describe feeling like a weight being lifted. Someone once told me that they even felt like dancing after a session of EMDR!
What does EMDR help?
EMDR had been originally established as helpful for PTSD, although it’s been proven useful for treatment in the following conditions:
- Panic Attacks
- Complicated Grief
- Dissociative Disorders
- Disturbing Memories
- Phobias
- Pain Disorders
- Performance Anxiety
- Addictions
- Stress Reduction
- Sexual and/or Physical Abuse
- Body Dysmorphic Disorders
- Personality Disorders
None of the above symptoms or experiences fit you?
Do you experience distressing emotions that appear to you, and perhaps to others, to be excessive given the current situation? Do you tend to be highly reactive to certain triggers? Is there one or more dysfunctional belief that you believe about yourself that on an intellectual level you know is not true?
If so, you may still be a good candidate for EMDR therapy.
If you want to heal from experiences you have been carrying for a long time, EMDR may be the answer.
Schedule an appointment with a certified EMDR therapist or give us a call at 216-200-5433.
Other Counseling Services
We provide a range of counseling services at our Beachwood Counseling Office. Online Counseling is available for anyone in the state of Ohio. We treat depression, anxiety, self-esteem, grief, emotional eating, Christian Counseling, and more. If you are looking for help to see real change in your life, you are in the right place!
