Attachment-Focused EMDR
What is EMDR?
EMDR is a way of working with unresolved past experiences that may be connected to problems in your current life. Using EMDR, we can reprocess these unresolved experiences so that they feel complete and no longer get in your way. EMDR is an evidence-based practice that was initially developed to treat trauma and PTSD. Over decades of research and clinical practice, we've learned that EMDR can be used effectively to address a wide variety of common issues, including: anxiety, phobias, panic, sleep disturbances, unresolved grief and loss, obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors, addictive behaviors, negative core beliefs, single incident traumas, complex trauma, relational trauma, and many other sources of stress. These types of issues are often connected to something in our past that remains unhealed or incomplete. EMDR is safe, non-invasive, and can be used with people of all ages. Schedule a consultation to learn more about how EMDR might be able to help you.
How does EMDR work?
Just as our bodies have an innate healing mechanism that instinctively knows what to do to heal physical injuries, our brains have an innate information processing system that knows how to process our daily life experiences. Our bodies and brains instinctively perform these functions and restore health and wholeness. But sometimes, something gets in the way of our natural healing functions and prevents complete healing of a physical injury or complete resolution of an emotional experience. It's usually easy to identify when a physical injury is not properly healing, but it can be harder to tell when an emotional experience or trauma is not completely resolved. We may not always make the connection between what is happening in our lives and something that may be linked from the past.
The brain is an elaborate association machine that quickly makes meaning of our experiences and then categorizes and files them away based on past events that seem similar. Sometimes traumatic or highly emotional or stressful experiences can cause the brain to miscategorize or misfile an experience, leaving it "stuck" and unable to be adaptively resolved. Without adaptive resolution, the brain will continue to try to work out this experience, which decreases the brain-power available to maintain optimal daily functioning. This can lead to unwanted symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, panic attacks, sleep disturbances, obsessive-compulsive issues, disturbed eating patterns, defiance and problematic behavior in children and teens, emotional over-reactivity, problems concentrating or focusing, or other problems that get in the way of optimal functioning. Additionally, until the unresolved experience is completed, it can continue to influence the way the brain interprets and categorizes future experiences, which can lead to an increase in unwanted symptoms.
EMDR activates the brain's innate information processing system and keeps it moving, so that whatever is "stuck" can be cleared out and resolved. Once whatever is "stuck" is cleared, your brain can resume it's innate processing functions to restore health and wholeness. The healing happens within you as your brain reprocesses the old material and moves it through to resolution - the therapist's role is to guide the process and keep it moving, following your process in moving the material through to competion. Once an issue is cleared, it will feel far away and distant and will no longer have an emotional charge connected to it. Any symptoms that were connected to the issue will resolve and you'll notice a difference in how you feel. Many people say they notice that there is suddenly space available for other things.
The brain is an elaborate association machine that quickly makes meaning of our experiences and then categorizes and files them away based on past events that seem similar. Sometimes traumatic or highly emotional or stressful experiences can cause the brain to miscategorize or misfile an experience, leaving it "stuck" and unable to be adaptively resolved. Without adaptive resolution, the brain will continue to try to work out this experience, which decreases the brain-power available to maintain optimal daily functioning. This can lead to unwanted symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, panic attacks, sleep disturbances, obsessive-compulsive issues, disturbed eating patterns, defiance and problematic behavior in children and teens, emotional over-reactivity, problems concentrating or focusing, or other problems that get in the way of optimal functioning. Additionally, until the unresolved experience is completed, it can continue to influence the way the brain interprets and categorizes future experiences, which can lead to an increase in unwanted symptoms.
EMDR activates the brain's innate information processing system and keeps it moving, so that whatever is "stuck" can be cleared out and resolved. Once whatever is "stuck" is cleared, your brain can resume it's innate processing functions to restore health and wholeness. The healing happens within you as your brain reprocesses the old material and moves it through to resolution - the therapist's role is to guide the process and keep it moving, following your process in moving the material through to competion. Once an issue is cleared, it will feel far away and distant and will no longer have an emotional charge connected to it. Any symptoms that were connected to the issue will resolve and you'll notice a difference in how you feel. Many people say they notice that there is suddenly space available for other things.
How long does EMDR take?
How long EMDR treatment takes will vary, depending on the complexity of the trauma or experiences that need to be reprocessed, your own unique history and life story, and the way you respond to treatment. However, most people are surprised at how quickly they start to feel better and notice a decrease in their unwanted symptoms. It's not uncommon for people to say that they have worked on something for a very long time in traditional therapy with minimal results, and then notice a big difference in how they feel after a couple of EMDR sessions.
The reason for this is found in memory networks. The insight gained in traditional talk therapy is a left-brain function. The emotions and memories associated with trauma or stressful experiences are right-brain functions. They live in separate memory networks. EMDR connects the separate memory networks, allowing integration of the insight gained and the story of the event with the bodily and emotional experience of the event, helping the brain to move the experience through to an adaptive resolution.
The reason for this is found in memory networks. The insight gained in traditional talk therapy is a left-brain function. The emotions and memories associated with trauma or stressful experiences are right-brain functions. They live in separate memory networks. EMDR connects the separate memory networks, allowing integration of the insight gained and the story of the event with the bodily and emotional experience of the event, helping the brain to move the experience through to an adaptive resolution.
What you need to know about TRAUMA
All trauma is subjective - it is the person's perception of the event and the way they make sense of it that matters. This is why two people can experience the same event and have completely different outcomes, depending on their own individual temperament, physiological stress sensitivity, and way they make sense of the world.
When we think of trauma, we often think of single incident events such as car accidents, violent crimes, sexual assaults, childhood abuse, losing a parent to death, divorce, or abandonment, natural disasters, war, and other events that are generally not everyday occurrences. These are what we call "Big T" traumas.
"Little t" traumas are far more common and happen to everyone to some degree. They are usually more chronic in nature and their effects build up over time. "Little t" traumas can include experiences such as being bullied at school, having an overly critical parent that finds fault with everything you do, ongoing relational conflict, losing a job, relationship break-ups, changing schools in childhood, living in a family with active substance abuse, domestic violence, or other challenging problems. The effects of "little t" trauma can get in the way of our ability to effectively cope with the daily ups and downs of life, and having multiple "little t" traumas increases their effect and can futher impact our ability to cope.
EMDR is an effective tool for treating both "Big T" and "little t" trauma. Schedule a consultation to learn more about how EMDR can help you.
When we think of trauma, we often think of single incident events such as car accidents, violent crimes, sexual assaults, childhood abuse, losing a parent to death, divorce, or abandonment, natural disasters, war, and other events that are generally not everyday occurrences. These are what we call "Big T" traumas.
"Little t" traumas are far more common and happen to everyone to some degree. They are usually more chronic in nature and their effects build up over time. "Little t" traumas can include experiences such as being bullied at school, having an overly critical parent that finds fault with everything you do, ongoing relational conflict, losing a job, relationship break-ups, changing schools in childhood, living in a family with active substance abuse, domestic violence, or other challenging problems. The effects of "little t" trauma can get in the way of our ability to effectively cope with the daily ups and downs of life, and having multiple "little t" traumas increases their effect and can futher impact our ability to cope.
EMDR is an effective tool for treating both "Big T" and "little t" trauma. Schedule a consultation to learn more about how EMDR can help you.