Eye Moment Desensitization and Reprocessing
(EMDR)
Do you have negative thoughts that won’t go away?
Have you experienced a traumatic event in your life that you just can’t seem to move past? Are you ready to try a revolutionary new approach to therapy that will rapidly accomplish what traditional talk therapy takes years to process?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type a therapy that helps individuals with emotional difficulties that are caused by emotionally disturbing life experiences. These incidents may range from traumatic events to upsetting events from childhood.
We will work with your emotions, thoughts and body sensations as we heal your distressing memories and negative thoughts. The use of EMDR will allow you to access your own internal healing system to the point where you will feel great again. With EMDR therapy, those negative thoughts and feelings won’t bother you anymore.
EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information
EMDR in The Woodlands, TX
Following a successful EMDR session; you will no longer relive the images, thoughts and feelings when you think about the incident. You still remember what happened, but it is no longer as upsetting. Your normal information processing will be resumed, which means the distressing part of the incident(s) won’t bother you anymore.
“EMDR can be thought of as a physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing material in a new and less distressing way.”
What is the actual EMDR session like?
You will call to mind the disturbing issue or event; what you saw, felt, heard, and thought, etc. Then you will talk about what thoughts and beliefs you currently have about that event. While you keep that in mind, we will begin the eye movement as you watch a light bar. (Many people find the light bar to be quite relaxing.)
As you watch the light bar and think about the disturbing incident, your mind will gradually begin to let go of the pain connected with the memory. As your brain processes the information, it gradually heals. Gradually, the memory will become less disturbing, and eventually positive thoughts will replace the negative thoughts.
We will continue with sets of eye movements until the memory becomes less disturbing and is associated with positive thoughts and beliefs about yourself. For example you might go from believing, “It’s all my fault” to “I did the best I could.” During EMDR, you might experience intense emotions, but by the end of the session, most people report a great reduction in the level of disturbance.
We will need to have a couple of sessions before we decide whether EMDR is an appropriate treatment for you. We can discuss EMDR more fully and address your questions about the method at our appointment. A typical EMDR session lasts from 60 – 90 minutes.
We won’t know how many sessions will be necessary until we start processing your situation. It depends on the type of problem, life circumstances and the amount of previous trauma to determine how many treatment sessions are necessary. EMDR can be used within a standard “talk” therapy, or as a treatment all by itself.