EMDR Therapy
What is EMDR?
EMDR therapy, or Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing therapy, is a specialized, evidence-based therapeutic modality that is proven to be highly effective in reducing the symptoms and distress that have stemmed from upsetting or disturbing life experiences. Traumas and other upsetting events often impact our feelings of safety, our beliefs about ourselves, or our beliefs about the world around us. These beliefs and ways of thinking can contribute to emotional distress, avoidance, fear, and feelings of disempowerment. EMDR therapy taps into the brain’s natural tendency towards healing, allowing clients to release blocks and reprocess upsetting events or circumstances in a way that allows them to have more adaptive, positive beliefs and reduced (often neutralized) distress/disturbance relating to the trauma(s) or impactful events. My clients describe EMDR as a remarkable modality that has helped them to heal and move forward to live fuller, more connected, and more empowered lives.
I offer in-person EMDR therapy in South Portland, ME, as well as online EMDR therapy to clients who live throughout Maine, Massachusetts, and Florida. I (and EMDR therapists across the country) have found that online EMDR typically promotes the same effective results that clients receive from in-person EMDR treatment. Online EMDR therapy combines videoconferencing with a virtual EMDR platform called remotEMDR to produce the same effects of in-person EMDR therapy. If you have any questions about this, please don’t hesitate to be in touch!
Who is EMDR for?
There have been multiple, extensive studies that have shown EMDR is highly effective in reducing the symptoms of PTSD. PTSD can result from an acute trauma, which is an isolated event (such as a car accident or natural disaster), or from chronic/complex trauma, which results from longterm exposure to an emotionally or physically unsafe situation (for example, trauma from an abusive relationship). Complex PTSD results from not just one upsetting situation, but from a series of multiple events or from continuous, ongoing dynamics/circumstances.
That said, you do not have to have experienced a traumatic event in order to benefit from EMDR. EMDR can support people to identify and rewrite the negative messaging that they carry with them. For example, someone who feels inadequate and insecure may use EMDR to pinpoint where these messages and beliefs first began, then continue to reprocess these experiences and develop new, more accurate, more empowering beliefs and perspectives.
While EMDR is most often associated with its amazing efficacy in treating PTSD, it can also be highly effective in treating anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, fears/phobias, unhelpful patterns of behavior, and more. In our work together, I will walk you through what to expect so that you feel comfortable, prepared, and aware of what to expect from EMDR.
“EMDR therapy quite literally changed my life”
“I was having panic attacks almost every day, and now I haven’t had one in months.”
“I’m so glad I found EMDR. I kind of can’t believe how well this works.”
Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR
I’ve heard that EMDR is like hypnosis. Is this true? Many people ask this, and although it is not a silly question at all, it is not true. EMDR is very different from hypnosis.
How does EMDR work? EMDR works by identifying past experiences that are connected to present struggles (a simplified example may be that a past car accident is an event that results in present day anxiety around driving). From there, we will go through a process called reprocessing and desensitization for each experience that has been identified. Through this process, the therapist asks the client to hold aspects of an event in mind, while the therapist uses bilateral stimulation — typically eve movements — to facilitate reprocessing and desensitization. It is believed that this bilateral stimulation taps into the brain’s ability to heal from upsetting events and process them in a way that is different from (and typically more effective than) simply talking about them. Through this process, internal associates begin to arise, and the client is able to process the event and the meaning of the event in a way that is more adaptive so that overall distress or disturbance is reduced.
I’ve heard that EMDR can make things worse before they get better. Is this true? In some ways, this may be considered true. Completing the various phases of EMDR therapy requires clients to attend to events or experiences that may have been traumatic, disturbing, or upsetting. With this, it is possible that some clients may temporarily experience increased anxiety, increased thoughts about the event(s), and/or heightened emotions. It is for this reason that an initial phase of EMDR is focused around supporting clients to build skills to tolerate any negative side effects of EMDR. These “side effects” are typically temporary and do not last through the duration of treatment.
I want to do EMDR at some point, but I don’t know if I’m ready. Can we still work together? Of course! Many clients have an interest in EMDR, but feel it is helpful to do some preparation work before diving in. Or, they may find it helpful to take time to build comfort in the therapeutic relationship and engage in other therapeutic work before beginning EMDR. I am happy to take things at your pace and support you through this process.
How many EMDR sessions will I need? This varies greatly from one individual to another, and is largely dependent on the client’s history and the complexity of the problem they would like to address. For example, many studies show that clients who are addressing a single-incident trauma are able to gain the effects of EMDR within 3 reprocessing sessions. That said, many individuals seek EMDR after experiencing numerous traumatic or upsetting/impactful events, or for more complex trauma, which results in more complex work that takes longer to complete.