EMDR

What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a specialized psychotherapy technique designed to help process traumatic memories and remove the negative feelings and beliefs that are connected to them. While trauma can feel like a permanent wound, it does not have to be in the forefront of your mind at all times.  EMDR helps the brain desensitize and reprocess disturbing memories and emotions so that they can be properly stored and filed away.  Much like how our body heals from a physical injury, our mind can heal from emotional wounds once the blockages are addressed.

Using EMDR therapy, individuals can experience the benefits of psychotherapy much faster, benefits that might otherwise take years using talk therapy. 

How Does EMDR Work?

EMDR works by stimulating the brain’s natural healing mechanisms. Our brains are designed to process and store information, but when we experience trauma, that process can get blocked, which leaves the emotional wounds unhealed.  EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, usually through guided eye movements, tapping, or sounds, to help unblock the brain's information-processing system.  This mimics REM sleep when the brain is naturally processing information.

When combining bilateral stimulation with thinking about memories or events, your brain starts reprocessing the memories to store them, and shifts your thoughts away from the maladaptive or negative beliefs and towards more positive thought patterns surrounding the events.  This 'desensitization and reprocessing' releases the emotional charge around those experiences and makes the memories less intense, while also creating new, healthier beliefs about yourself and the world.

Is EMDR Right for You?

EMDR was developed for individuals who have experienced trauma, but can really benefit anyone dealing with anxiety, low self esteem, depression, relationship challenges and much more. If you’ve tried other therapies but still feel stuck, EMDR may help you move through that.

You don't need to revisit every detail of your trauma for EMDR to work. You also don't need to share any details with me. This makes it a good fit if you’re hesitant to talk about painful experiences in depth but still want to resolve the emotional pain attached to them.

How EMDR Can Help with Trauma

Trauma affects how we see the world and ourselves, often leaving us feeling stuck in negative beliefs and emotional responses.  EMDR helps resolve trauma by storing and containing those disturbing memories so that they no longer trigger the same intense emotional reactions.  After even just a few EMDR sessions things can start shifting inside of you.  You'll find that you are responding differently to things that used to really bother you, feel more calm with less negative or self critical thoughts, and find yourself able to think about painful memories in a different way, no longer associating them with something you did wrong or getting stuck in them for long periods of time.