"After doing a weekend of intensive EMDR with Debra, I experienced personal change that I was not expecting. My reason for coming to therapy was to deal with a situation going on at work. It had gotten to the point where I didn't think I would be able to continue working there, but quitting was going to create a financial crisis that I did not know how to address. The interesting thing about our sessions was that Debra did not focus on work in the therapy. She focused on two childhood events using EMDR When I returned to work the next week, I noticed that the people had not changed but I had. Things that had really bothered me before were not even on my radar as an issue. I just didn't care. I told Debra this and then said, 'I just hope it lasts.'" Her response was, "It will last, and you will notice continued growth." John S.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) was discovered in the mid 1990s by Francine Shapiro, and has gained wide popularity for the treatment of generalized anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In very simple terms, trauma can be understood as one of two types of experiences. The first type of trauma (small-t) is a repeated and confusing experience that cannot be resolved over time. As these confusing experiences continue to happen, cognitive dissonance or confusion that manifests itself as anxiety, emotional numbness, or any other number of traumatic symptoms, will begin to emerge. The second type is known as big T experiences. These are typically solitary events that contain too much information in a very short span of time to be able to process as a single event.
Multiple independent and controlled studies have shown that EMDR therapy is an effective treatment for all kinds of trauma, including PTSD. It has even become one of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ strongly recommended options to treat PTSD. EMDR has been shown to have positive clinical and physiological effects on the brain as seen in pre and post brain imaging. In addition, the World Health Organization recognized EMDR as an appropriate form of treatment for PTSD for all ages, in 2013. Currently, EMDR use is being investigated for efficacy including psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders and chronic back pain.
Bessel Van der kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, has reported that with medication, patients feel better while taking it, but when they quit, the symptoms typically come back. With BioFeedback, patients are reported as getting better. After treatment ends, they stay better for a while but eventually symptoms return.
With EMDR, patients often report immediate improvement in mood. After treatment has ended, research shows that rather than symptoms coming back, patients continue to improve.
If you have trouble getting over past painful experiences, have recurring dreams, feelings of dread, or unresolved anxiety, EMDR may be the treatment choice for you. What can take years of talk therapy, can take weeks or a few months of EMDR. Call for a complimentary 30 minute consultation to find out if EMDR is right for you.