Have you heard of EMDR?

You’ve probably read about or heard about EMDR.  If so, you may have questions.

What does EMDR stand for?  Where did it come from?
How does it work?

Who does it work for?

Well, I’m gonna give you all the details here.

What does EMDR stand for?  Where did it come from?

In 1987, Francine Shapiro was taking a walk in the woods.  The light filtering through the trees gave this sense of movement and she noticed that she could better cope with disturbing thoughts as her eyes began to follow the movement of the light (rapidly moving back and forth).  

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.   It comes from this early experience and further research into our brain’s response to the eye movements.  Over time, we have learned that the key is the alternating bi-lateral stimulation.  Which just means sensory stimulation that takes turns on each side of the body.  It can be light stimulation causing eye movements from left to right.  It could be sounds (in headphones) moving from left to right.  It could also be physical sensations moving from left to right (like patting your knees or collarbone or even using a theratapper which has paddles you hold that vibrate in your hands from left to right).

How does it work?

These alternating bilateral movements cause your brain to go into a state similar to REM sleep.  You are relaxed and aware.  Now, when you focus on a traumatic event in your life while EMDR happens, your brain can reprocess the information and store it in a healthier space.  It’s common for us to say that trauma is stored in the body.  EMDR moves it into your brain to process and integrate it in a healthy way.  We aren’t trying to forget that the trauma happened or pretend that it was ok.  Instead, we are helping our bodies heal so that our minds can move on. 

I completed EMDR training in 2017 to have another way to support people dealing with trauma.  I’ve found it to be highly effective for trauma.  AND…

Who does it work for?

It turns out EMDR is healing for lots of other problems.  Trauma is where it is talked about the most and for great reason.  EMDR has been shown to help someone resolve their trauma in 6 sessions.  Compared to other modalities of therapy that can take years to help resolve trauma, this is a really big deal.  It has been successful with war veterans suffering from PTSD, victims of sexual assaults, and other types of trauma as well.  

EMDR can help someone who suffers from anxiety or panic attacks.  

One of the things I’ve discovered recently that is relevant to where my family is right now is that EMDR can support sports performance.  It’s being used to help athletes overcome performance anxiety, limiting beliefs, help them focus during competition and more!

Is there anything EMDR can’t do?

The short answer is yes.  EMDR, like anything else, has limitations.  While EMDR can resolve single trauma’s in a handful of sessions, for people who have complex trauma (for example, long term child abuse), more time is needed and it isn’t always as successful.  EMDR hasn’t been shown to help with schizophrenia.  

There’s always more to learn.  But for now, know this.  Even if you haven’t had luck with  meditation, or other stress reduction techniques for helping your anxiety, EMDR is still a viable option.  

If you’re like me, you’re always weighing out the options.  In this case, EMDR could help your anxiety like it has worked for others in 6 sessions.  But what if it doesn’t, you’re no worse off than you were 6 weeks before.  

But what if it did?  What if you allowed yourself the chance to truly heal?  What if you gave it a shot and you found yourself able to let your anxiety go to live the life of your dreams.  Would it be worth the chance? 

You deserve the joy and peace you desire!  I’m cheering you on!

Much Love,
Stacey

PS- if you’re curious to know if EMDR could work for you, you can schedule a free consultation to see if it’s a good fit for you.  Click HERE to choose a time and date that work for you.