EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a unique therapy intervention that takes advantage of the brain’s ability to heal itself after trauma by utilizing stimulation of the brain and body in an alternating left and right manner, called Bilateral Stimulation (BLS). Though we don’t know the exact mechanism, we believe this bilateral action allows the brain’s left and right sides to talk to each other in a new way which allows the amygdala, the brain’s alarm center, to shut down when thinking about a trauma. This allows our perception of a traumatic situation to become “it happened to me” rather than the trauma state of “it’s happening to me”.
Bilateral Stimulation may use eye movement, following the therapists hand or a light bar, but could also include tactile methods such as buzzers, tapping and butterfly hugs (arms crossed tapping on your own shoulders). Audio stimuli can also be used with headphones supplying a gentle beep, or my favorite, music. The BLS is applied between brief check-ins while your brain does the work to desensitize the highly distressing information and make new sense of what occurred in the past. One foot in the present, one foot in the past; this dual awareness with the BLS seems to be the secret sauce of EMDR that allows the brain to make new meaning of what occurred.
Are you unsure if EMDR can help you?
Consider the following questions:
- Are you impacted by memories, experiences and the emotions that are left over where it’s hard to live in the here and now?
- Is your system always anxious, fearful, wired but tired?
- Do you feel like the negative experience never really stopped happening to you?
- Do you lose productivity at work and home because you’re wired but tired?
- Do you have depression and anger that you know aren’t really about your life now but about your life back then?
- Do you have phobias, irrational fears, and out of control worry that you just can’t control?
- Have other therapies not worked to change the symptoms that you are struggling from?
Client testimonial from a 26 year old single female:
“Going to EMDR was something that I was scared and apprehensive about because I know that you really have to dive deep into emotions and feelings from what you’ve been through. I suffer from PTSD and I am survivor of any kind of abuse that there is. My main issue is with men and being able to feel safe and comfortable around them. When I chose to see Dusty it was something that immediately he picked up on. And wanted to work on that.
Over the last few months that I have been seeing Dusty my whole entire world and perspective has changed for the better. I am feeling more confident, stronger, more willing to speak up for myself and definitely learning how to take control of my happiness and my life. I’ve had some serious things happen and some complications come up along the way. And Dusty has done nothing but be supportive and provide the space the allow for healing. Even when you’re in the middle of what feels to be a crisis or a new heart break with life.
I recommend anyone going to see Dusty because he just plain gets it!”
Female in her mid 50s:
…after a few sessions and as we continued…it began to reinforce positive feelings…as if my brain was doing the work, to help me focus on the sensible solution, so to say…the common sense of the situation, the rational thought process of what I should do, it stopped the emotional responses that were negative from triggering…which was very important.