There are physical scars that will stay with us long after an accident, and then there are the mental and emotional scars. Like physical scars, they can take a long time to fade away. Unlike physical scars, emotional and mental scars usually need a little help healing.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a tool Thriveworks Woodstock can use to help the healing process along its way.
When you’re in the midst of a mental illness like depression, PTSD, eating disorders, or the like, it can be easy to think that you’re stuck like this. The lie that maybe this is just part of who we are and there’s no way to heal is all too easy to believe and entirely untrue.
Thriveworks Woodstock EMDR therapists want you to heal fully from the pain in your life. EMDR is one such way we can get there.
What Is EMDR?
The brain wants to be mentally healthy. It’ll work to heal and grow, but just like how a wound can’t heal with a foreign object stuck inside, we can’t emotionally and mentally heal when negative, distressing experiences go unresolved in our minds.
These experiences can be of the severe trauma type or the everyday distresses we encounter. EMDR was initially formed as a treatment for PTSD and trauma and has proved incredibly powerful in overcoming trauma (some studies have shown 84%-90% of single-trauma victims have significant reduction in symptoms after just three 90-minute sessions.) Because it is so successful in treating trauma, it also excels at treating the everyday memories people have relating to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and low self-esteem.
Great, but what is EMDR? Thriveworks Woodstock ensures you it’s not just some hippy formula. It’s backed by science and was heavily researched before introduced to clients.
EMDR’s goal is to transform the emotional power a memory has in your mind. In a session, you’ll fixate on a strong image relating to the painful memory, a negative belief about yourself, and any emotions and physical sensations associated with that. Then, using lateral eye movement, your brain explores the memory and related emotions.
At its core, EMDR is a way to accelerate the counseling process. It is about self-driven healing that focuses on your negative beliefs and how you want to change them. Your Thriveworks Woodstock counselor will of course be there to facilitate, but EMDR is about giving power back to you, even in the face of severe emotional pain.
You have lived in the gripes of painful memories and destructive self-beliefs for too long. With EMDR and Thriveworks Woodstock, healing is possible.
Is EMDR for you?
EMDR can be intense process. Partly because it is so accelerated in accessing trapped memories and processing negative emotions, the emotional whiplash can sometimes surprise clients. Our Thriveworks Woodstock counselors will make sure you have the coping tools you need before starting an EMDR session and will walk with you every step of the way.
Just because we’re using EMDR instead of traditional talk therapy doesn’t mean Thriveworks Woodstock’s focus is different. We will always keep you at the center of our session. Sometimes, EMDR isn’t a good fit for someone. If that’s the case, we have many other tools to practice and further the healing process. Counseling is a way to provide healing and hope, and there are many avenues to get there.
If you are interested in EMDR, give us a call and we can further discuss your interest. As a brief overview, EMDR has proven effective in treating:
- Trauma (of all kinds- sexual, physical, emotional, relational abuse single-event, or prolonged trauma)
- Depression
- Eating Disorders
- Low Self-Esteem
- Suicidal Ideation
- Addictions
- Panic Attacks
These are just the most popular uses EMDR has. It works best as a counseling treatment for past events that have strong imagery and emotions attached to them. However, any counseling is leaps and bounds better than no counseling. If you are curious about EMDR but don’t think you fit the perfect EMDR client, give Thriveworks Woodstock a call. You might find more benefit from it than you expect.
Thriveworks Woodstock understands that the pain you are going through is immense. It might feel like your whole life is taken over, and that’s a frustrating and scary place to be. Our counselors are here for you. We don’t have a magic cure, but we will help you stand and walk with you until you are excited and unafraid of the path you’ve chosen for yourself.
