Eye movement desensitization & reprocessing (EMDR)
What is trauma?
Trauma is a lasting emotional response that may result from living through a disturbing event or series of events that generally overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope. Experiencing trauma can impact a person’s sense of safety, their ability to regulate their emotions (especially in response to stress or further danger), their ability to navigate in different types of relationships and conflicts, and even their sense of self. Common emotional responses to trauma include fear, powerlessness, helplessness, embarrassment, and shame.
What causes trauma?
Trauma may be linked to a specific event, whether in the recent or the distant past. Some examples of single event trauma might include a car accident, an assault or other crime that threatened a person’s sense of safety, or surviving a natural disaster. Trauma can also result from a longer-term, chronic pattern of events, such as ongoing childhood neglect, repeated abuse in a family or personal relationship, homelessness, or extended financial stress threatening a person’s sense of security.
what is EMDR therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured therapy that encourages the counseling client to briefly focus on the memory of a disturbing event and the beliefs about that event. The counselor then facilitates left-to-right eye movements or another form of “bilateral stimulation” until the memory becomes less disturbing and positive beliefs become stronger. This combination helps reduce the vividness and emotional intensity associated with the trauma memories. In short, the goal is to help someone be able to think about the traumatic event without feeling the trauma response over and over again.
EMDR therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Ongoing research supports positive clinical outcomes showing EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences (EMDR International Association).
Which counselors at New Perspectives can provide EMDR therapy?
Heather MacLeod, Rachel Hartman, and Elise Ezelle are trained in EMDR therapy. To schedule an appointment, click here.
