EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.
– Albert Einstein
Sometimes the memories of difficult experiences don’t easily go away. There are many types of traumas: military combat, automobile accidents, childhood abuse, natural disasters, physical or sexual trauma or witnessing a horrible event, just to name a few.
EMDR can be helpful if:
- You are encountering a “re-playing” of an upsetting event.
- You feel as if something bad that happened years ago occurred very recently.
- You blame yourself unfairly for or get “stuck” in emotional or physical aspects of a traumatic experience.
- You are frequently “triggered” by events in the present that bring up past memories.
Our nervous systems are always trying to self-heal and may repeat the sequence or “story” of a past difficult event as a way to regain mastery. However, without interruption of this traumatic “loop” and introduction of healing resources, symptoms often stay rigidly fixed or worsen. Often part of what becomes “stuck” is a self-blaming or negative thought that adds to our feeling powerless or at fault and triggers the nervous system into over-load.
Fortunately we have made many advances in the last 25 years in treating and resolving the symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTSD). EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), founded by Francine Shapiro in 1987, is a powerful method of psychotherapy. To date, EMDR has helped an estimated two million people of all ages relieve many types of psychological distress (see emdria.org for more information).
Through the use of visual cues, sensory pulsations or bilateral sounds, EMDR assists us in processing and storing the event rather than to continue to over-react to a variety of stimuli that resemble the traumatic experience.
In this way, EMDR can help trauma sufferers to overcome their experience and to heal naturally. EMDR particularly acts upon our cognitive distortions, helping us to transform beliefs like “it was my fault” to “I did the best I could.”
EMDR has shown to be particularly effective at treating PTSD. Some clinical success has also been reported with panic attacks, complicated grief, performance anxiety, addictions, phobias and stress reduction, though insurance reimbursement may not be available for these other applications.
I have completed levels I and II of EMDR training and have been utilizing this technique since 2002. I blend in other approaches when needed for the treatment of complex trauma.
EMDR Therapy Westchester County NY, EMDR Therapy Fairfield County CT