EMDR Therapy

Are you struggling with flashbacks, PTSD, fear of things in the past, present, or future?Do you have irrational fears? Do you feel like you have no control over your emotions?Do you feel like past experiences are effecting your ability to feel present? When you feel stressed do you use substances do cope? Are you currently feeling held back or stuck to pursue the things that you would like to do in your life?

EMDR therapy or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy is an approach that maximizes the benefits of a past, present, and future approach to therapy all in one. EMDR therapy is clinically studied and proven to help individuals relieve past trauma, no matter how big or small. It helps to uncover negative patters and mental loops that are a product of our wiring. Therefore, EMDR treatment supports the creation of new mental pathways to live a more full and joyful life.

EMDR therapy is an effective modality to do in-person and when using online therapy with your therapist.

So what exactly is Emdr therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is a therapeutic modality that works to integrate negative memories and experiences, into more positive ones. One of the most basic and important components of EMDR therapy is its definition of trauma. Typically, when the word trauma is referenced, our minds immediately go to car accidents, incidents of abuse, natural disaster, combat, or other horrific events, these are typically referred to as our big ‘T’ traumas. Then there are our little ‘t’ traumas that typically refer to smaller, recurring traumas such as exposure to childhood trauma, negative messages, etc. Whereas EMDR treatment defines trauma as, “anything that has happened to you that you have not been able to digest or process or sequence, is held in the brain/body as a trauma which can cause distress and uncomfortable symptoms.”

With this definition of trauma in mind, when a traumatic experience occurs part of the brain shuts down, this shutting down process forces the experience to become locked in part of the brain, the limbic system. Once a memory becomes locked in the limbic system, a person will have the same negative response whenever they are reminded of the event. They can be reminded from everything from a picture to a smell to a sensation to a belief. EMDR therapy works to reintegrate the traumatic experience in a healthier way by formulating a person’s response to be one that is less reactive and more logical. 

EMDR treatment does not erase traumatic memories; rather, it helps a person remember a traumatic story without an emotionally charged response to it. Without such a response, a person can process and store a memory in a more logical, healthy, and adaptable way.

EMDR therapy is an incredibly transformative approach that leads to a more present, enjoyable, and experienced life.  

You might be asking yourself the following questions about emdr therapy…

How does EMDR therapy work?

In short, EMDR therapy uses a method called Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) that activates both the right and left sides of the brain, while a person imagines an experience in an unfiltered way. This step activates the part of the brain that has been locked or stuck, once that part has been activated and desensitized, the next step is to reintegrate the experience in a more positive or neutral way.

I have seen videos of emdr therapy. it seems like different therapists use different types of methods?

There are several different types of BLS that can be used within a session, no one approach better than the next. Some of these approaches include eye movement, hand pulsers, self tapping, auditory, or a combination of a couple. We will work together in preparing for sessions to determine which type of BLS is most effective for you. During EMDR therapy we will also work together to determine timing, duration, and the most important memories to be addressed. 

What is an EMDR session like?

EMDR therapy is more structured than other approaches. Therefore, a typical session consists of a check-in to see how things have been since your last visit. Following the check-in you will move into processing. This is the stage (also called desensitization) where the BLS is incorporated to get the information moving across both sides of the brain. Most often, this stage takes the majority of the session. Following this step, your therapist will leave plenty of time to integrate you back into the present. You will be guided through several exercises so that you leave the session feeling grounded and ready to go back into your day after EMDR therapy.

Am I the right fit for EMDR therapy? 

Given EMDR therapy’s specific definition of trauma, “anything that has happened to you that you have not been able to digest or process or sequence, is held in the brain/body as a trauma which can cause distress and uncomfortable symptoms,” almost anyone can benefit from treatment. Moreover, if you find yourself having an uncontrolled emotional response to an experience or memory, EMDR treatment may be right for you. Depending on the magnitude of effect it has on you, it may take one session, it may take many. 

Can EMDR therapy be done online?

Yes, it can. I am specially trained to do EMDR therapy online. We will collaborate to determine an appropriate way that feels comfortable to you, to begin this type of work using my online therapy platform.

Will this type of therapy work for me? Or am I a good fit for EMDR therapy?

Everyone can benefit from EMDR therapy. I have found through my work that individuals can get to a place in one EMDR treatment session that may take several talk therapy sessions. Most importantly, you deserve to feel better and you won’t know until you try

EMDR Therapy and you.

EMDR therapy is clinically studied and effective. There is no such thing as being sick enough, traumatized enough, or suffering enough to be deserving of this type of work. One of the most profound shifts that happens during EMDR treatment is a more clear self perception of who you are and what you want.

EMDR therapy will support you with a new relationship to the past experiences in your life that may feel dreadful, shameful, or resentful. Rather than replacing or erasing these experiences entirely, EMDR therapy will help you understand these experiences on a deeper emotional level which in turn, creates the space to have a new neutral or positive relationship with them.

EMDR treatment has been clinically studied and proven to have success in treating:

• PTSD 

• Panic attacks 

• Depression

• Phobias

• Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional)

• Chronic pain

ELLIE KRAUS PSYCHOTHERAPY, Emdr THERAPY in Colorado.

I am trained in EMDR therapy through the Maiberger Institute. I have special training with addiction, eating disorders, PTSD, college students, anxiety, and depression. I fully believe in the power of understanding the whole person when working with clients. Each individual is complex, unique, and special and I treat therapy the same way. You are an individual, therefore we will find the appropriate approach for you during EMDR therapy.

Interested in taking the next step? Fill out the form below for emdr therapy online or emdr therapy in Colorado.

If you are nervous or unsure about reaching out, feel free to provide as little information as is comfortable for you. There is no such thing as over or under sharing. We can schedule a 20 minute free consultation by phone or video to see if it feels like a good fit. I look forward to working with you! -Ellie

TO SCHEDULE A FREE 20 MINUTE CONSULTATION PLEASE Follow the Link Below.

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