EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic technique to reduce distress and persistent symptoms from traumatic memories. Considered historically one of the first trauma treatments to include the body in psychotherapy, it uses bilateral stimulation to reprocess distressing experiences and allow for safer integration into long term memory.

Bilateral stimulation is a fancy way of describing movements that engage alternating sides of the brain and body. This can be the therapist guiding our eyes from side to side, or the client alternating tapping the left and right sides of the body. Bilateral stimulation can allow you to revisit difficult memories with more awareness of the nervous system than simply talking about a traumatic event with a therapist – once you’re ready.

The goal of EMDR is to reduce the emotional charge and negative thoughts that persist with specific traumatic experiences. This work can sometimes be more intense and faster than other body-based psychotherapy modalities, so we balance this with Somatic Experiencing to manage pacing. Too much too fast is the single biggest complaint we have with EMDR. We bring our expertise on pacing to manage this with and for you. Your therapist can help you decide if this would be a helpful addition to your therapy experience.