Each organ in our body fights hard every single day to ensure we are happy and healthy, and the brain is no exception. The goal of EMDR therapy is to help your brain’s natural healing process along by helping you to cope with trauma, intense emotions, and internal conflict. This is where an EMDR therapist comes in to help you achieve your interpersonal goals and alleviate suffering.
What is EMDR Therapy?
According to the EMDR Institute, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. EMDR therapy works by recalling traumatic images, senses, emotions, and thoughts, in a safe environment where the trauma is then redirected to a physical stimulation (hand tapping, controlled eye movements, etc.) to help the brain process the trauma and heal from it. After EMDR therapy, the physical, mental, and emotional effects of the trauma are lessened.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
An EMDR therapist will work with you to revisit your trauma in a safe space in order to process it, heal, and move forward. It’s important to feel comfortable in your sessions to reap the full benefits of EMDR therapy. Usually, your EMDR therapist will ask you a series of questions to recall the specific traumatic incident and then redirect it with gestures such as hand tapping, hand movements, controlled eye movements, or other physical stimulation. As the physical stimulation occurs, your brain will take the cue to move forward with the memories, thoughts, and emotions tied to the incident. This is how the brain processes the trauma and heals itself mentally and emotionally. EMDR therapy will continue until either the effects of the trauma are lessened or pain and suffering are no longer tied to the incident. EMDR therapy is generally divided into five different phases.
1.) History of the trauma and coordinating a treatment plan
2.) Preparation for EMDR
3.) Assessment of specific memories
4.) Treatment
5.) Evaluation
What is EMDR Therapy Good For?
EMDR therapy is proven to be effective for treating post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic life events. It is also believed to help anxiety, depression, and panic disorders, and it is a largely safe and effective treatment. While you may experience heightened emotions and memory recollection during EMDR therapy, that’s a sign that it is working. It is often used as an alternative for medication.
Where Can I Find an EMDR Therapist Near Me?
At Therapy Cincinnati, we believe that EMDR can play a vital role in any patient’s therapy sessions. We pride ourselves on the highest quality EMDR and trauma therapy with our highly trained and expert therapists. If you feel like negative memories are constantly hindering your quality of life, EMDR therapy is a surefire way to help alleviate suffering and painful memories that you can’t stop thinking about. Instead of feeling trapped and hopeless in your memories and psyche, EMDR therapy can help you regain control of your life by winning your power back over setbacks in life and traumatic events. We offer EMDR therapy for clients of all backgrounds and history.
To find an EMDR therapist near you, you can begin by searching the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) website to find certified EMDR providers in your area.
What Should I Expect from EMDR Therapy?
The number one thing in EMDR is to feel comfortable with your therapist. At Therapy Cincinnati, it’s our mission to go above and beyond to make our clients feel seen, heard, and comfortable as they confront some of their most painful moments and memories head on. As they say, you grow through what you go through, and that is our promise to our clients. Gain your power back today with EMDR therapy.