EMDR Therapy in Milford
EMDR Therapy Can Help You Take The Past Out Of The Present
Throughout our lives, all of us have painful experiences that are too overwhelming for our brains to process. Sometimes this happens as a result of a car accident, natural disaster, or violent assault; other times, it happens because of long-term, emotionally- damaging experiences like a toxic or abusive relationship.
EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a revolutionary approach to therapy that seeks to remove the emotional overwhelm that’s associated with painful memories. In short, it allows clients to remember their experiences without feeling distressed, overwhelmed, or “frozen” in time. EMDR therapy takes the past out of the present, empowering trauma survivors to live freely and joyfully in the moment instead of in the shadow of yesterday.
Through the power of EMDR, many of our clients here at Milford Counseling—including first responders and military veterans—have been able to put the pain of trauma behind them and find healing and inner peace. Oftentimes, they’ve found relief from lifelong emotional challenges in a matter of sessions, doing in a few weeks’ time what would otherwise take years to accomplish.
How Effective Is EMDR And What Does The Research Say?
EMDR was developed by the psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1987, after she discovered that certain side-to-side eye movements could alleviate feelings of distress. Since then, the approach has grown into a global phenomenon with an enormous body of research around it and thousands of trainings and workshops dedicated to furthering its healing power.
Today, the World Health Organization, Department of Defense, and American Psychological Association all consider EMDR the gold standard of trauma treatment. Over the years, studies have found that roughly 77 to 90 percent of trauma survivors have no more PTSD symptoms after about three-to-six sessions of EMDR.
Although EMDR was originally used to treat combat veterans, many of whom fought in the Vietnam War, it has since gone on to treat everything from anxiety and depression to low self-esteem and addiction. Since most mental health issues are, to one extent or another, the result of painful past experiences, it stands to reason that most mental health issues can be treated with EMDR. There’s virtually nothing EMDR can’t treat, and that’s why it’s such a huge part of our approach here at Milford Counseling.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
EMDR therapy always starts by ensuring that you feel safe, grounded, and in control before diving into the deeper work of processing trauma. You and your therapist will spend considerable time creating “resources” that you can turn to as you work through the pain of the past. You might use breathwork, movement, visualization, meditation, or other mindfulness-based activities to help you center yourself throughout treatment.
Ultimately, how long the “resourcing” phase of therapy lasts is up to you—some may only need a session, while others may need more time. The answer largely depends on the nature of your trauma and how much it still affects you at present.
Once you feel sufficiently relaxed and grounded, you will begin the EMDR phase of treatment. Your therapist will guide you through a series of bilateral stimulation exercises—such as alternately tapping your knees or following a light bar with your eyes—while you focus on a target memory (or belief) related to your trauma. These exercises will activate both sides of your brain, allowing painful memories to move from the emotional side to the logical side, gradually reducing your level of emotional overwhelm.
As therapy goes on, you and your counselor will repeat the EMDR exercises until your distress is either nonexistent or significantly lower than it was when treatment began. By the end of EMDR therapy, you can expect to feel lighter, more at ease, and less bothered by the little things—more confident of your purpose and less held back by fear.
Why Should I Choose EMDR Over Other Approaches To Trauma Therapy?
Conventional approaches to trauma therapy generally involve talking about your problems until you reach a sense of resolution. When it comes to trauma, however, this can often do more harm than good. For many trauma survivors, merely talking about painful memories can be retraumatizing.
The beauty of EMDR is that it doesn’t require much talking—you are encouraged to share only what you’re comfortable sharing. Your therapist may need some basic information about the nature of your trauma, but there’s no need to delve into the nitty- gritty and recount everything in detail. The bilateral stimulation exercises essentially do the work for you, opening up new neural pathways in your brain regardless of what you share or don’t share.
What’s more, most forms of therapy deal exclusively or primarily with the conscious, waking mind. The problem is that trauma isn’t stored there; it’s held in the body, in the subconscious, and in the regions of the nervous system that the conscious, waking mind can’t access. EMDR works closely with these regions, allowing for deeper, more meaningful healing than talk therapy.
You Don’t Have To Keep Living In The Shadow Of Yesterday
At Milford Counseling, all of our trauma therapists are EMDR-certified and have been rigorously trained in the knowledge and wisdom of this unique, transformative approach. So if you’re tired of feeling stuck in the past, it’s time to jumpstart your healing journey with EMDR. To connect with one of our compassionate, trauma-informed specialists, you can use the contact form or call us at (248) 529-6383 to schedule your initial session.
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