How EMDR Therapy Could Help You....

Encounter Counseling is excited to offer EMDR therapy! EMDR has become extremely popular over the last few years as many therapists are getting the training and incorporating this modality into their work with clients.

What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Don’t let this big-name scare you! I will explain all you need to know and how this could possibly help you.

EMDR is a type of therapy that is primarily used for treating trauma.

Trauma could be anything from major traumatic events to resolving smaller annoyances like negative beliefs about one’s self, phobias, a specific event or a series of traumatic events.

EMDR is much different from talk therapy in many ways.

First of all, EMDR moves at a quicker and time-effective pace because it directly addresses disturbing or traumatic memories and connects them to more positive memories and beliefs about yourself.

The way EMDR works is it imitates our REM sleep cycle which is where our brains naturally process daily events. Sometimes when we experience difficult events they don’t get fully processed and get stuck in the back of our brain or the “fight or flight” area. We know they are stuck when we get reminded of a difficult event and we can still feel the disturbing feelings and sensations associated with that memory.

EMDR helps get those memories unstuck through bilateral stimulation or facilitating communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. When this occurs our brain can access the front of our brain where the logic is stored and apply it to the traumatic memory so it is no longer disturbing.

I know that’s a lot of brain talk, but I want to highlight one of the coolest aspects of EMDR. If you have experienced difficult things you have the ability to reprocess those memories so they can stop affecting your everyday life. All you need is the facilitation of the EMDR therapist to move those memories into a state of being fully processed.

EMDR can be used as a tool within traditional talk therapy to provide a well-rounded and time-effective counseling experience.

What if I haven’t experienced any major trauma?

I whole heartedly believe a session of EMDR could be helpful for anyone. When I first learned about trauma therapy I though it was only referring to abuse and neglect type issues. But the fact of the matter is we live in a difficult world and have all experienced trauma to some degree some common examples of different traumas include:

• Body Image

• Disordered Eating

• Chronic Dieting

• Eating Disorders

• Medical Trauma

• Car accident or any other type of accident

• Birth Trauma

• Loss of a job or home

• Moving

• Miscarriage

• Divorce

• Loss of a loved one

• And so much more!

What else can EMDR help with?

Studies show EMDR is an effective form of treatment for not only trauma but a variety of mental health difficulties including:

• Depression

• Postpartum depression

• Anxiety

• PTSD

• Grief

• Body image & food issues

• Phobias

• Addictions

• Performance Anxiety

• Panic Attacks

• Relationship Problems

• Difficulty trusting others

• Fear of being alone

• Lack of motivation

• Memories of traumatic experiences

• Low self-esteem

• Illness

• Anger

• Worry

• Unrealistic feelings of guilt and shame

From Negative to Positive Beliefs

One of the best things about EMDR is it can re-wiring your brain. The negative beliefs we have about ourselves are based on clusters of memories that can be re-wired into something positive. This is a really big deal because the beliefs we have about ourselves directly correlate to how we feel about ourselves and our overall mental health. These beliefs also play a big part in determining our actions and outcomes in life.

Here are some common negative beliefs that can turn into positive beliefs with EMDR:

• I don’t deserve love

• I’m not good enough

• I’m weak

• I’m a failure

• It’s not okay to feel or show my emotions

• I did something wrong.

• I’m a disappointment

• I’m weak

• I cannot get what I want

EMDR can bring so much freedom without going through months or years of therapy. This is very different from the traditional talk therapy paradigm I am accustomed to using and I am so excited about it.

I have experienced myself the transformation and healing EMDR can do and I think it could be a great tool for anyone out there looking to heal or find freedom in any area of life.

If you have questions about how EMDR could help you give us a call anytime. We would love to partner with you and figure out how you can find healing, hope, and freedom.

In growth,

Chelsea

Encounter Counseling offers in-person counseling in Grand Junction and online counseling state-wide in Colorado including Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins and Colorado Springs.