EMDR Therapy 

What is EMDR therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an evidence-based therapy approach that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of trauma and many other mental health concerns. It is a sensory-based therapy that works to integrate both sides of the brain when processing past experiences or difficult situations.

The mind and body naturally have an internal healing system. A lot of this natural coping mechanism happens during sleep, particularly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Stressful experiences or traumatic events may create barriers to the natural healing process. EMDR can help with this stress and feeling stuck. EMDR was originally developed to successfully treat Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since then, EMDR has been used to effectively treat a wide range of concerns. The key point of EMDR is to allow yourself to take what works, and leave the rest behind.

EMDR will not take away the feelings or make you forget past events. EMDR can help your brain to develop new pathways and responses so the past does not take up so much space in your present.  EMDR can help to remove the intense emotionality we feel around memor

Who can benefit from EMDR therapy?

EMDR was developed to help those struggling with traumatic events and PTSD, however, it can also be helpful for those with anxiety, depression, OCD, intrusive thoughts, addiction, and complicated grief.

EMDR can be effective for children, teens, and adults. 

EMDR can speed up therapy by resolving the impact of your past traumas and allowing you to live more fully in the present. It is not the right fit for everyone. The process is fast, and any disturbing experiences, if they come up at all, usually last for a shorter period of time. It is important to be aware that during the process you may experience strong feelings or difficult thoughts. Your therapist will work with you to tap into and increase your coping resources before beginning re-processing. Your therapist will work with you to determine when you are ready for processing.  EMDR can be used in conjunction with typical talk therapy, or on its own.

EMDR can be done in your weekly therapy appointment or as a weekend intensive.  Weekly 50-minute appointments are covered by insurance, intensives are not.

Weekly sessions should be scheduled so that you have a bit of time afterward to practice self-care and rest before jumping back into your routine.

Why schedule an EMDR intensive vs. weekly therapy?

EMDR intensives are a concentrated and accelerated form of therapy. Intensives can be potent and transformative experiences that get deep to the root of the issue and pull out the weeds all in one dig. While weekly therapy can be powerful, it can be limiting to have to “close up the wound” after 50 minutes, just when you’re tapping into the core issues. EMDR intensives allow individuals to feel their feelings and move through it in a swift manner rather than re-opening the wound every week.

• Process information in a faster amount of time: Much like a spiritual or other healing retreat, EMDR intensives allow individuals to transform mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually in a short amount of time – anywhere from 2-5 days.  
• Save money: Due to the focused nature of sessions, EMDR intensives can actually be more cost-effective at healing from a specific trauma, rather than weekly therapy sessions where time is spent catching up on weekly events and daily stressors. 
• Weekly therapy isn’t for everyone: Some people have schedules that make it challenging to attend regular sessions with a therapist – whether it’s due to long hours, frequent traveling, or childcare or caregiving responsibilities. EMDR intensives allow busy people time to focus on themselves and complete deep inner work. 
• EMDR intensives can also be used as an adjunct therapy: Maybe you have a regular therapist you meet with for talk therapy and it feels like a great fit, but you’re still struggling with PTSD. EMDR intensives can allow you to get trauma-focused treatment that compliments the work you’re doing with your primary therapist.

EMDR intensive sessions are like going on a personal spiritual or other healing retreat. It’s best to allow time outside of sessions to be unscheduled or filled only with self-care activities like exercise, body work (acupuncture or massage), and creative expression – drawing, painting, cooking, etc. 

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