What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy offers a unique and innovative treatment for unresolved trauma that may become “locked” in your brain. It involves revisiting triggering memories while using bilateral stimulation (eye movements) to shift the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors surrounding trauma. While traditional therapies address the symptoms of trauma, EMDR therapy focuses on the memory, allowing your psyche to heal.
What Issues Can EMDR Help Treat?
EMDR is specifically used to address unresolved trauma and can be used alongside other therapeutic approaches. It’s effective for treating PTSD, anxiety, and depression from specific events. It can also help with conditions such as eating disorders, panic attacks, addictions, and complex trauma like abuse or neglect. All therapists at Kindred Harbor Behavioral Health are EMDR certified and trauma aware.
How to Recognize Unresolved Trauma
You might not always realize you have experienced trauma, but it can disrupt your life. It can leave you feeling broken and fragmented; but we believe you have the innate ability to feel whole again. Some of the most common events of unresolved trauma we see include:
Bullying, betrayal, or exploitation
Discrimination or hateful encounters
Domestic violence or abuse
Familial alcoholism or drug abuse
High-intensity work environments
Sexual assault and childhood abuse
EMDR Addresses Unresolved Trauma
EMDR therapy offers several benefits over traditional approaches. It helps recode your thoughts, replacing negative thoughts and associations with positive ones, to provide transformative results. EMDR is non-invasive, easy to complete, and can help improve your ability to form relationships. That said, not everyone is ready for EMDR treatment—and that’s okay too.
How Does EMDR Work?
EMDR targets unprocessed memories composed of negative beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations. The process involves recalling the event, noticing any negative thoughts or sensations, and then the therapist initiates Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) using eye movements, taps, or auditory tones. This activates your brain’s information processing system, allowing old memories to be safely processed with the therapist’s support.
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EMDR Therapy
Process unresolved trauma in a safe space.
