EMDR
What is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a highly researched therapy that is helpful for processing and resolving trauma and PTSD reactions. EMDR can also be helpful in addressing anxiety, phobias, depression, complicated grief, chronic pain, and other concerns.
When difficult or traumatic things happen, these events can be stored in the brain in maladaptive ways that include painful thoughts, feelings, and body sensations, as well as negative beliefs about the world, others, and self. When we encounter any reminders of past trauma or difficult events, unprocessed emotions as well as those negative beliefs can be triggered causing problems in our life now.
In EMDR, the therapist works through a structured process to help the client bring the difficult material to mind while using bilateral stimulation (BLS). BLS activates both hemispheres of the brain, asking the working memory to do more than one task at a time. BLS is often applied by the therapist moving fingers rapidly side to side and asking the client to follow the movement with their eyes. Sometimes bilateral stimulation is provided through other forms such as alternating sounds through a right and left headphone or vibrating tappers held in each hand. The combination of activating the stored memory and applying bilateral stimulation helps clients to process the core of the traumatic material and engages the brain’s natural ability to access and apply adaptive information. It is typically a faster, more efficient treatment for trauma than traditional talk-only therapy approaches. In traditional talk therapy, the therapist is often the agent of help and healing. In EMDR, the client’s own brain does the work!
We highly encourage you to read the information in the following webpages and watch the short video linked below to help you understand even more about this treatment approach and the research behind it. If you have further questions or are interested in EMDR therapy, please contact one of our trained clinicians.
Christa Wright, LMFT, Certified EMDR Therapist
Pauline Limberg, EMDR Trained Therapist
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