Healing Trauma/EMDR

Since the 1990's, therapists and researchers have developed an amazingly effective, safe, and fast therapy to help people find relief from the symptoms of trauma and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) that keep them stuck in old patterns, feeling horrible anxiety, depression and panic. This therapy is called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and has helped thousands of people feel at ease, safe and comfortable with themselves after living through trauma. (Trauma can be anything from a car accident to suffering abuse as a child to living in a war zone – any situation in which you felt helpless to change things. Sometimes even small traumas, such as, having our feelings hurt as a young child still plays out in our lives today, in big ways that are unconscious to us and interfere in our current relationships.)

 

EMDR also works to clear irrational negative beliefs, whether or not they were the result of trauma.

 

Together, we can use EMDR to…

 

• bring quick relief to severe longstanding symptoms of anxiety and depression

• relieve low self-esteem

• overcome intimacy problems

• overcome phobias

• take the charge out of the things that trigger you

• heal childhood traumas

• heal recent or past traumas

• overcome fears like public speaking

• enhance performance in sports, sales, work or recreation

 

…which will help you get back to living your true self, functioning the way that you know you can and living your life to the fullest.

 

 

What is Trauma?

 

When you experience trauma, you go into a kind of shock that puts you in survival mode and cuts you off from your true self. You act instinctively and automatically to get through the experience. It’s as if one part of your brain freezes to allow you to survive but gets stuck in the trauma. If you never get to thaw out that part and process the traumatic experience, the thoughts and feelings you had at the time keep coming back. Usually these thoughts and feelings are negative and seem irrational outside of the traumatic situation, making you feel anxious, depressed, or even a little crazy.

 

For example, during a car accident it’s normal to think, “I’m going to die.” But if every time you get in a car you fear that you’re going to die, then you’re having a traumatic response. Being in the car triggers the old belief, even though it’s no longer true.

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But I’ve never had real trauma…

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Is there a specific incident or relationship that occurred that seems to interfere with you living your true self? We tend to think of trauma as the big stuff like combat, car accidents, violence or abuse. But really, trauma results whenever we feel helpless. So we can have traumatic symptoms even from being criticized, shamed or having our feelings hurt as a child. These insidious injuries are often not as benign as they seem, leaving you with a monster inner critic that won’t stop and interfering with your ability to be the true you.

 

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How is trauma treated?

 

Researchers theorize that the frozen memories are stored on the right side of your brain. A special therapy technique called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps those memories connect to information you have on the left side of your brain – the part that knows you are now safe and capable of taking care of yourself.

 

EMDR is a safe, effective and drug-free way to help your mind and body resolve trauma. EMDR uses simple tools (like headphones or hand-grips) to activate the right and left hemispheres of your brain while you remember a traumatic event or think about the resulting negative beliefs and feelings.

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History and Effectiveness of EMDR

 

Since the late 1980s, EMDR has been used successfully to treat trauma in veterans of combat, people who’ve lived through wars or natural disasters, and victims of violence and sexual or physical abuse. It has a success rate of over 85% and has helped over two million people of all ages relieve psychological distress.

 

 

Additional Uses of EMDR

 

While EMDR was developed for BIG trauma, it has also been successful in treating:

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• Relationship challenges, by helping people stop repeating negative patterns

• Stress and overwhelm

• Grief and loss

• Performance anxiety and enhancement, in areas ranging from sports performance to public speaking to fear of failure

 

The best part of EMDR is how quickly it works. It is common for symptoms to be alleviated in as few as one to three sessions.

 

 

Do I have to stop my current therapy?

 

If you are already in therapy, you don’t have to stop or leave your current therapist. I am happy to collaborate with other therapists on resolving specific problems that are not shifting with traditional psychotherapy. Talk to your therapist if you are interested in EMDR and feel free to share my contact information.