Your therapist will assist in recognizing and challenging negative thoughts while also helping you create positive beliefs that support wellness. If they do, you may have experienced this type of therapy, known as “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy”.

It is often utilized for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and related trauma-related symptoms but can also be effective against co-occurring disorders like anxiety and depression. This method can even assist in treating eating disorders and gender dysphonia.

 

PTSD

EMDR is most often utilized to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (which you can learn about here), but it can also be beneficial in the treatment of anxiety and depression. While not intended to replace other therapies like talk therapy or medication, EMDR provides complementary care that speeds healing more rapidly.

An EMDR session typically involves sitting or lying down and following your therapist’s finger movements with your eyes. Some therapists may use alternative stimuli, such as hand or toe tapping or musical tones; your therapist will have you recall the disturbing event, along with its emotions and body sensations, until these memories no longer distress you; at that point, they’ll encourage positive thoughts about yourself as well as any physical sensations which remain, which will form the starting point for further eye movements.

Studies demonstrate how EMDR can decrease symptoms associated with PTSD such as nightmares and flashbacks as well as any uncomfortable body sensations such as tightness in the chest or stomach and tension or tightness around arms or shoulders. EMDR therapy in New Mexico helps unburden memories that may have remained trapped inside long enough. It does this by alleviating them as well as replacing negative beliefs formed due to trauma by replacing them with new beliefs developed as a result.

As part of your EMDR reprocessing sessions, your therapist will also teach you relaxation activities and stress reduction techniques. These strategies will assist with maintaining emotional safety and mental stability during and between EMDR reprocessing sessions.

It is founded on a theory about how the brain stores memories – both good and bad, including traumatized ones – and how sensory stimulation can alter our thoughts, emotions, and memories. Your therapist will explain the various processes involved with EMDR as well as any questions that arise regarding its use.

 

Anxiety

EMDR can be an extremely effective method for treating anxiety, as it removes barriers that inhibit people from healing. It may be used alongside other treatments or alone to address anxiety-inducing experiences and beliefs. Based on the adaptive information processing model, suggests that humans each possess a system used to process new information and make sense of it.

Your therapist will lead you through the first two phases of this therapy in this second part of your session, instructing you to focus on any negative images, thoughts, or emotions that arise while engaging bilateral stimulation sets – such as eye movements, taps on shoulder/arm pads or musical tones – which include bilateral stimulation sets for each stimulation set (eye movements, taps on shoulder/arm pads or musical tones) while rating their intensity of these sensations and emotions.

Your therapist will then lead you through a series of EMDR sessions designed to break any associations between negative memories symptoms and physical sensations and strengthen positive beliefs (for instance Jessie was anxious about performing in her play but her therapist helped her recognize that her fears were out of proportion with her abilities as an actor).

EMDR has been met with criticism by some scientists who claim it lacks scientific basis; however, others have discovered its effectiveness for treating anxiety and other conditions (source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3951033/). Today it is recommended by both the World Health Organization and several mental health professionals. Some insurance providers also cover it.

 

Depression

Depression can often be traced back to past traumas. This therapy works by processing these memories and shifting focus onto more positive thoughts, helping alleviate negative emotions. Studies have proven its efficacy. As it’s still an emerging type of therapy, you may wish to consult your physician or an online database in search of certified practitioners experienced with its use.

It can be practiced both in-person with a therapist and online via video conferencing. Your therapist will ask you to think back on events that cause anxiety or sadness and lead you through various phases of the therapy, beginning with creating an emotional profile of you so they can identify areas that require treatment; depending on the specific circumstances this could include discussing either childhood events or adult experiences.

Your therapist will ask you to rate the intensity of your negative feelings and positive beliefs, before helping you process and re-experience memories and negative experiences so they are successfully processed again. They may repeat this step until they can think back on traumatic incidents without experiencing distressing symptoms.

Trauma

EMDR is widely recognized for its effectiveness in treating trauma. Studies have demonstrated its ability to decrease symptoms associated with trauma-related events like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and dissociative disorders. While other forms of therapy focus on changing emotions or changing thoughts about traumatized events, EMDR therapy appears to directly change how memories are stored within your brain.

According to this article – EMDR therapy has proven itself an invaluable asset in treating trauma-related disorders such as anxiety disorders – including panic and phobias – depression, dissociative disorders, and personality disorders. Although further research needs to be done into its effects on these conditions, many therapists who practice EMDR believe it can help their clients overcome traumatic life experiences more successfully.

Once a therapist believes you are ready for EMDR processing, they will ask you to recall a traumatic event while simultaneously stimulating both sides of your brain with bilateral movements – similar to what happens during REM sleep when your mind is most active. Some researchers believe that bilateral stimulation allows your brain to reevaluate this memory while replacing negative feelings with more settled, empowered feelings.

Once you have processed an initial traumatic memory, your therapist will ask if any new issues arise that require EMDR therapy. This process will continue until they believe you have successfully processed all targeted