EMDR trauma therapy can help you heal
EMDR Therapy in Madison
After bad things happen such as: witnessing violence, getting hurt, experiencing abuse in childhood, sexual assault, emotional abuse, being bullied, and other non life threatening experiences, it’s common to feel guilt, shame, on edge, mood swings, or like you can’t move on. It is also common for these experiences to show up in the form of nightmares or as if our body is re-experiencing it. Logically, you know that it was in the past, but your body, mind, and emotions seem to be responding as if these experiences are happening again and again. You may feel confused about why you are responding this way.
When you experience a threatening or distressing event, it can interrupt the natural processing your brain does all day. This disruption is what can cause people to feel “stuck” in their experience and disconnected from yourself and others.
These mental blocks keeping you “stuck” can be removed, allowing the natural healing process to continue.
EMDR therapy can help.
schedule a free 20-minute consultation with an EMDR Therapist
What is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy treatment that has been proven to alleviate distress from difficult life experiences. The benefits are that it is proven to work across experiences (such as anxiety, trauma. PTSD/CPTSD, depression, low self esteem, etc.) and will alleviate distress faster than more traditional therapy approaches.
What does EMDR therapy feel like?
The best way to describe how EMDR therapy works is to describe how the brain processes information. Normal brain processing looks a lot like packing up your home like you’re getting ready to move. You have a box in the kitchen labeled “kitchen,” a box in the bathroom labeled “bathroom”, living room, etc. Your brain processes information and places them in the appropriate boxes.
However, if your home is actively on fire, you would be running around throwing items in whatever box you can find. The furthest thing from your mind will be about what goes were. This is how the brain processes information while it is experiencing trauma. After experiencing a traumatic event, your normal brain processing can be altered. Sometimes you will come across an item and not be sure where to put it. On a similar note, if you come across items related to the traumatic experience you might feel like your house is on fire again.
EMDR is a therapeutic approach that feels like unpacking and reorganizing the disheveled boxes and putting the items back into their assigned places so it no longer feels cluttered and scary.
During the session, you will be guided in BLS while you reprocess old memories. Reprocessing is brief and only for approximately 20 seconds at a time. In between reprocessing segments we will be checking in with one another. At that time you can share as much or as little as you want while we check in. You are in control, every step of the way.
with EMDR, you are in control
How does EMDR work?
Your brain processes information naturally in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. During the REM stage of sleep your brain is processing information from that day by categorizing information and storing it into memory. EMDR is a way to tap into this process to help address barriers that are getting in the way.
To mimic the brain process seen in REM sleep we will use a technique called bilateral stimulation (BLS). BLS is just a fancy way to say activating the left and right sides of your brain. There are several different ways to perform BLS. The way that is most common is by tracking a light with your eyes from left to right (just like what happens during REM sleep). You can also alternate playing a sound between your left and right ear, or do both eye movements and sound together. Another way includes tapping on parts of the body from left side to right side (like your knees or shoulders).
Online EMDR Therapy
With the magic of technology – you can access an EMDR therapist while you are in the comfort of your own home with online therapy! This is done through screen sharing in a HIPAA compliant telehealth video platform. All you need is a quiet, confidential space, a computer or smart phone, internet, and open and willingness to try something new.
Does EMDR really work?
EMDR therapy is an evidence based practice and if you would like to see the hundreds of studies that have proven that EMDR really works then click here.
If you would like to set up a consultation with an EMDR therapist, contact me below or click here.
Schedule a free 20-minute consultation