To most people, therapy is about sitting down with a therapist and opening up about their lives. However, while standard talk therapy is quite helpful and engaging, there are some alternative forms of treatment that one can consider.
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, therapy treats trauma, social phobia, and despair, among other disorders. Although EMDR therapy may not be a standard form of therapy, it has excellent benefits, especially for those struggling with emotional distress or uncomfortable expressing their fears using words.
Since its inception roughly three decades ago, EMDR therapy – a type of therapy that relies on the body’s sensory experiences – has undergone constant development. EMDR therapists and experts use eye movement as the fundamental technique to address painful experiences.
Although it integrates certain ideas from cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT, EMDR treatment procedures mostly center on beliefs drawn from therapy. The closeness and confidence between therapists and their patients are essential for the program’s success. Emotionally focused therapy with CBT/EMDR integration can combat even the most difficult symptoms caused by mental health conditions.
According to EMDR experts, the procedure targets the fundamental source of the disorder through eye movements while recalling painful experiences. It enables the patients to change how their brain interprets these stressful occurrences. Besides, it can help establish new methods of regaining power over emotional resonance, even with more intense feelings.
EMDR can help those struggling with negative thinking or negative self-perceptions, even if they do not have any mental health issues. Some of the top five advantages of EMDR therapy include the following:
Many people unconsciously harbor self-defeating ideas that stem from regrettable past events. Beliefs that one must be flawless or is unworthy of affection may have their roots in traumatic experiences from childhood or a divorce.
EMDR therapy shows how these toxic misconceptions are just interpretations of experiences. It helps one explore other more realistic and empowering thoughts, dispelling the influence of any pessimism.
Minor routine stressors, when unaddressed, could eventually take a toll and cause total burnout. A few EMDR therapy sessions can periodically assist one in getting relief from the stress they accumulate daily.
Psychologists recommend EMDR for PTSD patients because of its success in trauma resolution. It stimulates both brain hemispheres using bilateral stimulation to reprocess upsetting memories. EMDR has also been shown to be beneficial in tackling depression, anxiety, panic attacks, nightmares from a traumatic experience, loss, divorce, bullying, and abuse.
EMDR therapy is not just for those who are consciously struggling with negative emotions but also for just about every other human being. It helps people reframe the awful events from their past that have left them with unfavorable opinions about themselves. One can transcend default negative thinking and relearn to have a more positive relationship with themselves by repurposing the assumptions or events that have affected their self-image.
By altering negative thoughts, EMDR enhances one’s relationships, productivity at work, imagination, happiness, and more. It can propel individuals to achieve their potential by dimming the “I can’t” or “never try” voice.
Reliving past tragedies can be frightening and sometimes makes it difficult to open up about their experiences. EMDR creates a secure setting where one can proceed at their speed. Most patients initially experience frightening feelings elicited by EMDR therapy, but Orange County therapists can help one find coping mechanisms.
EMDR trains people to regulate their feelings when they feel out of control. It could also show them how to handle challenging circumstances and increase their ability to react to potent emotions rationally.
Compared to conventional therapy, EMDR therapy adopts a novel approach that cures problems that patients have struggled to talk through for years in just a few sessions. It does not demand that patients share every element of their recollections, which is highly beneficial when they have problems expressing their issues verbally.
EMDR therapy prioritizes a person’s past, present, and future equally, focusing on unsettling recollections from the past and associated experiences. It addresses current distressing events and cultivates the abilities and mindsets necessary for future success using an eight-phase treatment strategy. The patient will concentrate on a distressing memory while monitoring the therapist’s hand motions.
EMDR experts help you process your memories using this bilateral stimulation, which connects to REM sleep processes. Every session of bilateral stimulation lasts for approximately 25 seconds. The therapist will recommend deep breaths and give feedback on one’s progress during the previous round of eye movements after every set.
Therapists can also change the time, pace, and type of stimulation based on how aggressively one adapts to the trauma. Unlike conventional PTSD therapies, EMDR heals mental scars while transforming them into personal empowerment.
Therapists can incorporate EMDR with other treatments to address the following:
The therapist determines potential targets for EMDR treatment while also determining a patient’s readiness and creating a care plan. These include emotional-distressing experiences and present-day circumstances or connected historical occurrences. If the patient had a tough upbringing, initial EMDR processing focuses on childhood experiences instead of adult-onset stresses or the identified occurrence.
In most cases, patients understand their circumstances, the emotional anguish subsides, and they change their behavior. The number of events and the age at which PTSD first appeared also determine the duration of treatment. Adults having single-event trauma could heal in less than five hours, while victims of several traumatic events might need more time.
Moment of Clarity offers EMDR therapy as a part of an all-inclusive trauma recovery procedure. We also provide life skills advice, 12-step programs, and individual and group counseling. The success of our programs is guaranteed because we focus on patient recovery by addressing their specific requirements. We are ready to help you or a loved one get past a traumatic event you are struggling with.
Get in touch at 949-635-4437 to discover more about our EMDR treatment and the other forms of therapy we offer.