Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
(EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based, trauma-informed therapy approach that helps individuals process through traumatic memories, negative belief systems, and emotional distress or numbness associated with past experiences. EMDR is often referred to as “Grade A Trauma Treatment,” as research has shown it can assist individuals through emotional processing in fewer required sessions than individual talk therapy alone.
This video created by the EMDR International Association, or EMDRIA describes the immense impact that this form of trauma treatment can have on an individual’s growth and quality of life.
What is EMDR?
Who is EMDR for?
Individuals who can benefit from EMDR include anyone struggling with:
PTSD and trauma-responses, including flashbacks or nightmares
Anxiety or panic attacks
Depression symptoms
Attachment wounds, resulting from childhood or relational abuse/neglect in adulthood
Poor self-image
Negative and limiting beliefs
Excessive feelings of shame or guilt
Life transitions
Difficulty navigating change or loss
Grief processing
Religious trauma
What makes trauma processing with EMDR different from typical therapy sessions?
EMDR is rooted in neurosciences and taps into the brain’s natural way of processing information using bilateral stimulation (BLS), through the use of eye movements, tapping, or sound.
The back and forth between both hemispheres of the brain using BLS allows for the desensitization of emotional impact of a memory to then integrate or reprocess the memory with a new, more positive belief system.
How long are EMDR sessions?
EMDR can be conducted in a 50-minute session, although, it is recommended for use in 90-minute sessions or longer. This additional time allows for maximum benefit to move through emotional processing, while still having time at the beginning and end of sessions for grounding and integration of new insights without feeling rushed. If you are serious about trauma processing, intensive sessions are worth considering to move through more material in a fewer number of sessions, aka getting your time back.
This extended timeframe can be extremely helpful not just with moving through more emotional material and desensitizing charged memories in fewer sessions, but additionally, intensive EMDR sessions can become an enjoyable and rewarding experience when paired with learning somatic skills, therapeutic yoga practices, and ego state explorations. Most insurance will only cover 50-minute sessions of EMDR, so it may be worth inquiring about private pay sessions if interested in exploring longer sessions.
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