EMDR

You’ve been through some rough stuff.

Maybe it was a car accident, a bad breakup, the death of a loved one, or an emotionally abusive relationship with a family member or a romantic partner. Perhaps, you saw something awful happen to someone else.

Talking about that experience hasn’t brought you the relief you hoped it would. Maybe you’ve tried other therapies but still feel on edge, anxious, and hopeless. You didn’t expect this feeling to stick with you for so long, but you’re unsure how to move forward.

You can’t help but wonder why things still feel so hard.

“Other people have had it way worse; why can’t I get over this? I’ve tried staying busy, but it’s not helping.”

“It’s been so long; why is this still stuck in my head? I’m not a little kid anymore, but sometimes I feel like I did back then. I hate feeling this way. When am I finally going to feel better?”

You know things are different now, but you still feel stuck.

Logically, you know you’re okay and not still in the same situation you experienced. You know that things are different, and you are different.

But things don’t feel different. Sometimes a switch flips, and you feel like you did back then. It feels fake or even wrong when you try to reframe your thoughts or repeat CBT affirmations.

There’s a disconnect between your brain and what you feel; what you feel seems to win out every time.

There’s a way forward. The reality is that you are whole, not broken, and you don’t have to feel this way forever.

EMDR can help.

EMDR targets the feelings, negative beliefs, memories, and even body sensations that can linger after we’ve experienced something stressful. EMDR helps your brain heal naturally, giving a sense of relief that you can feel.

EMDR helps, whether it’s processing Trauma with a capital “T”, or something stressful that happened that seems stuck on a loop in your head.

Like when your dad told you to “man up” when you were feeling nervous, when your mom left you at the skating rink, or when your college boyfriend broke up with you out of the blue.

Sometimes stuff gets stuck in our heads, and we don’t know why. What we do know is that EMDR can help us get unstuck.

What is EMDR therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy modality that’s been around since the 80s and has been growing steadily in popularity in recent years. EMDR has vital research backing its efficacy in helping people heal from past trauma or even stressful situations that somehow got stuck in a loop in our brains.

EMDR works through a process called bilateral stimulation. As you recall a stressful situation or traumatic experience, your therapist will activate both sides of your brain by moving their fingers quickly back and forth as you track their movement with your eyes.

The process seems to work similarly to Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, during which your eyes move rapidly back and forth as your brain processes and sorts information from the day. This process can also look like crossing your arms over your chest and tapping your shoulders (my personal favorite) or listening to alternating tones using headphones.

EMDR also works using the concept of dual attention. You’ll recall difficult memories from the past while remaining grounded in the present with your therapist (hence the eye movements). Facing those memories is thought to help the brain reprocess those memories and send them where they should be stored instead of us bumping against them in our daily lives. This reprocessing helps relieve anxiety and the effects of trauma and can help us see ourselves, others, and the world around us in a more balanced way.

Feel at peace with your past and take charge of your story.

Many issues are hard to process, keeping us stuck in the past. Abandonment and childhood emotional neglect can stay with us in adulthood. Some who experience trauma from war, accidents, and other stressful events may find it hard to shake those traumatic memories, causing PTSD.

That stressful or traumatic event may lead to anxiety, depression, panic attacks, phobias, sleep issues, and performance anxiety. Loss and grief may persist, making it hard to move forward. Healing from physical, sexual, or emotional abuse are situations that make it difficult to have relationships.

EMDR helps you break away from what your experiences have taught you. In EMDR therapy, we’ll look at some of the negative beliefs your experiences have taught you. You may have thoughts like: “I’m not safe”, “I don’t belong anywhere”, “It’s my fault”, or “I can’t control what happens to me.”

EMDR can help your mind let go of these beliefs to make room for the fact that you are enough, can find peace, and you can start a new chapter in your life.

I’m glad you’re interested in exploring EMDR therapy.

I’ve made the next step as seamless as I can with online booking.

All you need to do is click below to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

Let’s talk more about what you want out of your life and how I can help. EMDR can make a difference, allowing you to move past the rough stuff.