What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, allows you to work through your past, so it no longer holds the same power over you. We all experience different hardships and overwhelming incidents in our lives and you may notice that some of these can stick with you and create negative beliefs about who you are. Our brain starts to store these memories, or traumas, as evidence to prove these negative beliefs, like we are not enough or we do not belong. When we experience these traumas we can start to feel anxious and/or depressed and struggle to feel okay within our bodies and with other people in our lives.
EMDR therapy finds the root of where your present day struggles started from and helps you process them fully so you no longer hold those negative beliefs about yourself. You can begin to feel more resilient and capable.
Why Do Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy?
Feelings of: Anxiety. Debilitating fears. Sadness. Anger. Shame.
Beliefs like: I am not enough. I am not loveable. I am a bad person. I am worthless. I am not capable.
It is also a treatment method for people who experience symptoms of:
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Anxiety Disorders including Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobias, etc.
- Mood Disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, etc
What is Trauma?
Any memory that felt overwhelming to our nervous system can be called traumatic. Trauma can be a sexual assault, physical abuse, a car accident, a life threatening experience, emotional abuse or the absence of love and safety in your life.
When we experience traumas it can be challenging for us to regulate our emotions. You may notice that your emotional reactions to situations are more intense than others. A lot of the time this can happen because you are not only reacting to the stressful incident in front of you, but your brain is bringing up past traumas that are being triggered. Once we work through the past traumas in therapy, your symptoms of anxiety and/or depression can begin to decrease and become less debilitating.
EMDR therapy finds the root of where your present day struggles started from and helps you process them fully so you no longer hold those negative beliefs about yourself. You can begin to feel more resilient and capable. To learn more about how EMDR therapy works read our blog post.