What on earth is EMDR?

Eye Moveme-huh!?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing… that in and of itself is overwhelming, but not as overwhelming as disturbing past experiences. EMDR therapy is proven to help reprocess past life experiences that, in turn, will reduce the emotional and physiological charges you are experiencing in the present. EMDR directly adjusts how your brain processes information, specifically disturbing, emotional, and impactful experiences that get hung in your brain’s information processing system.

This stuck place does not allow you to heal from the pains of the past, so EMDR is an amazing and proven way to heal in ways our normal talk therapy can’t. EMDR utilizes bilateral stimulation, or in other words, a side-to-side pattern via sight, hearing, or touch. This bilateral stimulation allows the brain to recall disturbing images, emotions, or thoughts from the past and reprocess them in the brain, resulting in more peaceful, resolved feelings. EMDR works well to combat symptoms related to addiction, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and trauma, to name a few.

In the room with EMDR
EMDR is an 8-phase therapy.

Phase 1 History: Let’s talk, plan, and map it out.

Phase 2 Preparation: Establish a safe/calm space in your mind and discuss the deets of whats to come in phases 3-7.

Phase 3 Assessment: Answer some questions to set the scene and allow yourself to hitch a ride in the time machine.

Phase 4 Desensitization: With bilateral stimulation, you’re journeying on the boat down Willy Wonka’s tunnel of disturbing material. This piece can be the most challenging, but light is always at the end of the tunnel!

Phase 5 Installation: Install and strengthen the positive belief about yourself, replacing the negative belief that has riddled you for some time.

Phase 6 Body Scan: Close those eyes, and with your mind’s eye, scan your body from head to toe, searching for any comfort or discomfort.

Phase 7 Closure: Look at you, rock star! You did it!!!

Phase 8 Reevaluation: Check back in and make sure you’re still good!

 Remember, your mental health directly impacts your physical too, so pay attention!