EMDR Therapy
You are not broken. You do not need to be fixed. You are hurting and need to heal. There is a difference.
It was previously assumed that trauma requires a long time to heal, or that it can’t be healed at all and the best we can do is learn to manage our symptoms of distress. However, good trauma therapy, including EMDR, reminds us of our innate and natural ability to restore a sense of wellness within ourselves, and that the mind and body can in fact heal from psychological stress and trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.
Our understanding of trauma itself has also evolved over time. Simply put, trauma refers to an unhealed wound resulting from distressing life experiences that have yet to be fully processed by the brain and body and are essentially stuck - leaving us stuck and unable to effectively and fully move forward with our lives and be the person we want to be and truly are.
Because you are not your trauma or your trauma symptoms.
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched and effective psychotherapy method proven to help people heal and recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences.
Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference.
I use EMDR therapy on its own as well as in conjunction with other healing and psychotherapy approaches.
How Does EMDR Work?
The brain’s information processing system is designed to naturally heal itself after experiencing stress and to move towards a robust state of mental health and wellbeing. I like to call this our “natural home base”. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause suffering and a myriad of presenting mental, emotional, physical, and behavioural symptoms. Once the block is removed, however, natural healing resumes.
By following an 8-phase approach and using what is called bi-lateral stimulation (back and forth eye movements, tones, tapping, etc.), EMDR therapy effectively treats trauma and its symptoms by helping clients access the deeper parts of their brain where the traumatic memory and survival responses are stuck, and finally be able to process and metabolize these memories. You still remember your past, but these memories are no longer undigested, emotionally overwhelming experiences that continue to trigger you in the present. In fact, many clients unearth important insights about themselves during the EMDR process and leave therapy feeling empowered by the same experiences that once held their minds and bodies hostage. This is sometimes referred to as Post-Traumatic Growth.
How is EMDR Different?
Many clients who come for EMDR have previously engaged in some sort of talk therapy and often report having only gotten so far in their healing, noting that their symptoms of anxiety, depression, shame, sleep or eating difficulties, etc. persist despite having '“worked through” their issues in talk therapy.
Often, talk therapy alone hasn’t gone deep enough for the brain to fully process the event, and the body may still be living in a state of survival, resulting in the ongoing symptoms that still need coping or management strategies.
EMDR does not require talking in detail about the distressing events we have faced and doesn’t focus on changing the symptomatic emotions, thoughts, or behaviors. Instead, the EMDR process focuses on resolving the core wound and allowing the bodymind to resume its natural and instinctual healing process.
For many clients, EMDR therapy can be completed in fewer sessions than other psychotherapies and does not rely on the therapist’s reflections or interpretations to guide the session, but instead on the client’s own inner wisdom and processing ability.
What Can EMDR Help With?
EMDR is effective in resolving various types of trauma, often categorized as either ‘big T’ or ‘little t’.
Big T trauma is the result of deeply disturbing, life threatening events or situations. That’s why we usually think of extreme events when we think of trauma - for example, war, natural disasters, a serious car accident, a difficult birth, or a violent attack. Big T traumas can be a singular event or a chronic situation, such as severe bullying or physical abuse.
Small t trauma is the result of events or ongoing situations in our lives (including in childhood and adolescence) that are more common experiences but also cause distress, fear, and a sense of helplessness or hopelessness. Examples of small t traumas include breakups or divorce, loss of a job, chronic illness, or not having your emotional needs met as a child. While less likely to leave us with the intense PTSD-like symptoms of Big T traumas, small t traumas affect all of us and can be the underlying cause of many mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, anger issues, relationship issues, substance abuse, eating disorders, personality and mood disorders, and other behavioural and physical health issues.
What Can I Expect During EMDR Therapy?
For a detailed breakdown of the 8 phases of EMDR therapy and what to expect click here: EXPERIENCING EMDR THERAPY
Healing our trauma wounds releases us from the painful events of our past, allows us to be more fully present in our lives, relationships, and bodies, and frees us to think about and create a future that is hopeful and full of possibility.
I currently provide online EMDR therapy to adult individuals across the province of Ontario. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as therapy services moved online, EMDR therapists learned to adapt the model to work with remote therapy. In reports by clinicians across the world, EMDR has been shown to be just as effective when done remotely as when done in person, and clients have reported additional benefits of attending sessions at home versus attending the office.
If you are interested in online EMDR therapy or have questions, I would love to hear from you.
“Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.”
— Tori Amos