Are old traumas tainting moments of joy? If you answered yes to that question, EMDR can help! EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is an 8-phase, 3-prong therapeutic approach that “rewires” our brain. It can relieve the symptoms of past trauma and old wounds. Much of our natural healing happens while we are asleep. This healing occurs particularly during the REM, or Rapid Eye Movement stage of sleep.  EMDR uses this process to successfully treat trauma symptoms.

EMDR can help with old wounds.

We naturally manage new information and experiences without being aware of them. But when we experience something out of the ordinary the overloading takes place.  These unprocessed memories remain easily triggered even if the memory is no longer there.  The painful feelings, such as anxiety, panic, despair, and anger stay in the present.  This causes us to have difficulty enjoying life to the fullest.

One of the biggest misconceptions about EMDR is that it is only useful in treating PTSD.   However, EMDR can also help with “smaller” traumas, like experiencing bullying in grade school.  It is also useful in treating depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, and sleep problems. EMDR can help.

EMDR can be brief-focused or part of a longer treatment program.  During EMDR treatment, you remain fully in control, alert, and wide awake.  EMDR is not a form of hypnosis and you can stop the process at any time.  The therapist supports and facilitates your own self-healing and intervenes as little as possible. Reprocessing is usually experienced as something that happens spontaneously. New insights and connections arise naturally from within. EMDR is a natural and very empowering therapy.

If you want to learn more about EMDR, and how it can help you, schedule an appointment with me at Lighthouse Emotional Wellness. As a certified  S.A.F.E.  (Somatic and Attachment Focused EMDR) practitioner, I can help you improve your present and future interactions.