If you are experiencing persistent distress, especially if it feels rooted in past painful events, and you are longing for permanent relief from it, EMDR may be the right choice for you.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy developed more than 30 years ago to help people recover from traumas large and small. This therapy helps people process painful memories so that they no longer create stress in their daily lives and no longer cause somatic symptoms of anxiety, depression, or pain. Studies have shown that EMDR works as well as, and more efficiently than, any other treatment for PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). It has also been shown to help with a range of other conditions, including anxiety and depression.

Despite its name, EMDR is not all about eye movements. We now recognize that the key component is bilateral stimulation (BLS) of the central nervous system (alternating between right brain and left brain). While eye movements remain the gold standard within EMDR, many other kinds of bilateral stimulation are known to be effective, such as tones alternating between the ears, tapping alternate sides of the body, and so forth. EMDR can be done both in person and via telehealth. You will have the opportunity to experiment and find the method that feels most comfortable to you.

EMDR also has more to it than reprocessing traumatic memories. That is just one phase of the whole process. After some initial assessment, a critical stage of the treatment involves developing internal resources to manage powerful feelings that are associated with painful experiences and can inhibit the reprocessing of those experiences in EMDR. This usually offers a lot of relief already, even before reprocessing begins. When these earlier stages are done thoroughly, the reprocessing tends to go more smoothly resulting in quicker and deeper resolution of the underlying issues.

Like any other treatment, EMDR is not magic and it does not work equally well for all people. Part of my initial assessment involves getting a sense of whether it would suit your needs and your current level of readiness.

If EMDR is of interest to you, please email or call me and we can explore that possibility together.