Strong Solutions Boulder Therapy

What Is EMDR?

To understand EMDR therapy, first we need to understand the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The brain’s right hemisphere can be likened to a bird in flight – it has a wide attention of the world around us and is able to take in the bigger picture and see how things are connected. It’s the mystical, cosmic, and emotional side of the brain – the part that responds to poetry and music and seeks to go beyond what mere words can convey.

The left hemisphere is less like a bird in flight and more like a bird on the ground, gathering seeds, worms, and materials. It’s the part of the brain that has a narrower attention. It organizes information, breaks things into parts, creates narratives, and finds the right words for things.

In order to get through trauma, we need both hemispheres of the brain to communicate about that adverse memory or event. And in EMDR, we utilize bilateral stimulation of the brain to encourage the two hemispheres to essentially play tennis with each other. This allows for a more functional learning, bringing the material out of the limbic system and into the part of the brain that consolidates/digests the memory. That allows you to move beyond trauma, gain clearer insight about the past, and experience much less disturbance in the future.

When you’ve experienced trauma, the disturbance from the trauma gets trapped in the limbic region of the brain and does not properly make its way to the cortical regions of the brain. Have you ever heard of the fight, flight, or freeze response? It’s like being at the airport ready to fly but getting stuck at the security check point with alarm bells going off.

The power of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) therapy is that we focus on desensitizing the disturbance in your nervous system and bringing down those alarms. This allows your traumatic experience to gain access to the higher, executive part of the brain and into both sides of the neo-cortex. It can help you get past the security checkpoint and move towards your flight.

Once we’ve quieted the alarm bells within your system, the two hemispheres of the brain can begin “digesting” trauma by being present with your experience (which is the function of the right hemisphere) and putting it into order and giving language to it (which is the function of the left hemisphere). This creates a two-directional flow of information which allows for functional learning and reprocessing.

The consolidation of adversity or digesting of adverse experiences ultimately enables you to make your way to your flight and get where you want to go – which is the whole reason you go to the airport in the first place. In this way, you have more energy for your present endeavors and life goals, allowing the painful memories of the past to truly be behind you.

How Effective Is EMDR And Who Can It Help?

EMDR was founded by Francine Shapiro in 1987, after she discovered that certain eye movements help the brain lower the disturbance level of traumatic memories. She began using the approach to treat clients with PTSD and the rest is history. EMDR is now one of the most popular and effective forms of trauma therapy in the world and numerous studies attest to its healing power (1). Research shows that about 77 to 90 percent of trauma survivors no longer have PTSD symptoms after just three-to-six sessions of EMDR therapy (2).

What makes EMDR so effective? Unlike standard talk therapy, EMDR allows for deeper, long-lasting healing. Instead of merely building coping skills to manage symptoms, we address the source of the pain, allowing you to heal the emotional wounds at their core.

Although EMDR was initially created to treat trauma, it is also proven to be helpful in treating anxiety, panic, depression, certain chronic illnesses, relationship issues, physical symptoms, and numerous other mental health conditions. In my practice, I use EMDR to treat anxiety and panic, grief and loss, developmental trauma, and CPTSD, as well as to help prepare you to succeed in the future in the arenas of work and love.

My goal is to help clients move from self-knowledge to self-leadership to self-mastery, giving them control over their emotional pain so that it doesn’t govern their lives.

How Does EMDR Therapy Work?

The treatment process begins with an assessment to make sure that you and I are a good fit and that EMDR is right for you. Next, we’ll have an intake session to go over your trauma history and your goals for therapy. In our first session, we will work on “resourcing,” giving you a polyvagal toolkit that you can draw upon throughout treatment.

Some of the skills I teach include polyvagal breathing exercises, present-centered embodiment and somatic practices such as grounding through the senses and other movement tools such as Havening (which is a self-touch technique that involves touching your palms, face, and shoulders). You are also welcome to have a loved one join you for an EMDR session(s) if you would like additional emotional support during treatment. I encourage you to draw from whatever supports and resources work best for you, since you know yourself best.

When we begin the actual work of EMDR, you will engage in bilateral stimulation exercises that engage both sides of your brain (you can choose from traditional eye movement, bilateral sound, or stimuluses in your hands from a set of Neuro-tech buzzers). You’ll start by holding the buzzers in each hand as you focus on processing traumatic memories. When the buzzers vibrate, they’ll help your brain form new associations with painful memories and allow you to install positive thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. By repeatedly performing this bilateral exercise, you’ll be able to digest and consolidate your trauma so that the memory gets stored in the adaptive part of your brain.

If you’re looking to see quicker change, read more about my EMDR intensive therapy and how it can help.

How Can EMDR Benefit Your Life?

EMDR can help you gain insights into past hurts and traumas as well as reduce stress and emotional pain. As your memories get consolidated into the adaptive region of your brain, it is likely that you will experience less depression and anxiety, have healthier sleep, reduced stress, and improved relationships with others.

Most importantly, you can experience a better relationship with yourself. Many clients I’ve worked with report that their level of self-compassion, inner kindness, and inner control or mastery increased through EMDR therapy. They were able to experience deeper peace of mind and reconnect with inner strengths that they’d lost touch with. I want this for you, too.

I know the work of EMDR is not always easy, but I have found that it’s infinitely rewarding.

Letting your hurts be exposed to the light of day and engaging your nervous system’s natural capacity to heal opens the way for empathy and hope to emerge on the spot - allowing those hurts to heal. Through therapy, this deeper healing and understanding, along with your toolkit of skills, goes with you no matter where you are in life and what challenges you face.

(1) Recent Research about EMDR - EMDR International Association (emdria.org)

(2) What is EMDR? - EMDR Institute - EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING THERAPY

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