Transforming Trauma through EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

Individuals often say that living with trauma feels like being in danger.

You may feel tense and on alert. You may feel as though your insides have been shattered and glued back together with the wrong adhesive.  You may feel frightened or angry a lot of the time. You may feel as though you are just moving through life and that your world lacks color and energy. You just feel generally unsettled. 

While the effects of trauma may feel permanent, they do not have to be.  You can feel better. The word trauma is derived from the Greek word for wound – and wounds can heal.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing is a well-researched trauma intervention that can often bring symptom relief more rapidly and effectively than other forms of therapy.

What’s going on with me? 

Whether you grew up in a family characterized by chaos, or are an adult survivor of childhood abuse, a sexual assault survivor, or have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma results in a characteristic set of symptoms.

You may experience some or all of the following:

·         Being on edge or afraid a great deal of the time

·         Feeling unfulfilled in your relationships

·         Experiencing unpredictable emotions or feeling little emotion at all

·         Feeling empty and without purpose

·         Assuming the worst in most situations

·         Feeling that others cannot be trusted

·         Having a knot inside that you cannot untangle

·         Feeling that you are not really present, or that you are standing outside your body

Sometimes insight into the reason for your disturbance is simply not enough to manage your symptoms.  It still might be difficult to calm yourself or to change the way you think and feel.  I believe that this is because trauma is an invisible injury that resides in both our mind and our body. 

Now what?

The ingredients essential to trauma work include strategies for both the mind and the body.  Insight-oriented talk therapy and education about the effects of trauma are central to the process but I have learned that an effective approach must also target and release those disturbing symptoms that feel locked in your body. Therefore, I typically incorporate additional techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), as part of a comprehensive plan to help you transform the physical symptoms of trauma efficiently and effectively.

Do I have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

A diagnosis of PTSD requires a very specific set of criteria.  In my experience any diagnosis you may have is less important than the constellation of symptoms you experience.  You are in pain and our goal will be to target your symptoms and help you understand and work through them so that you can lead a satisfied life.

What else you can expect from therapy?

·         An interactive conversation where your beliefs, feelings, and wishes are valued

·         Skill building, including useful ways to manage stress and assert yourself

·         Education about how trauma affects your brain and steps you can take to reverse these effects

·         Discussion about safety and trust in relationships