EMDR

What Is EMDR Therapy:

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of unresolved trauma and PTSD.  The objective of EMDR therapy is to process these disturbing events in order to reduce their lingering effects and allow clients to develop healthy coping mechanisms.

EMDR therapy includes a set of standardized protocols that incorporate elements from several different treatment approaches. Eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation seem to activate your problem solving process. By focusing on a specific problem, and both its negative and positive emotions, sensations and beliefs, and then adding bilateral stimulation, your brain begins problem solving.

EMDR

What Other Kinds Of Problems Can EMDR Treat:

Scientific research has established EMDR as effective for post-traumatic stress. However, clinicians have also reported success treating the following: panic attacks, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, disturbing memories, phobias, pain disorders, performance anxiety, and stress reduction.

What Happens In EMDR Treatment?

The goal of EMDR therapy is to process completely the experiences that are causing problems, and to include new ones that are needed for full health. “Processing” does not mean talking about it. “Processing” means setting up a learning state that will allow experiences that are causing problems to be “digested” and stored appropriately in your brain. That means that what is useful to you from an experience will be learned, and stored with appropriate emotions in your brain, and be able to guide you in positive ways in the future.

The inappropriate emotions, beliefs, and body sensations will be discarded. The goal of EMDR therapy is to leave you with the emotions, understanding, and perspectives that will lead to healthy and useful behaviors and interactions.

How Long Does EMDR Treatment Last?

The amount of time the complete treatment will take depends upon the history of the client. One or more sessions are required for the therapist to understand the nature of the problem and to decide whether EMDR is an appropriate treatment. The type of problem, life circumstances, and the amount of previous trauma will determine how many treatment sessions are necessary. EMDR may be used within a standard “talking” therapy, as an adjunctive therapy with a separate therapist, or as a treatment all by itself.

Jonathan Gurney, LCSW, ACSW is an EMDR Level 1 and 2 Trained Therapist.