Healing from Trauma

what is emdr?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. Our minds can often heal themselves naturally, most of this healing occurring while we sleep. However, when out of the ordinary events happen, like discrete or complex trauma, our natural healing process can become overloaded. This can lead to traumatic events being stored in our brain and body as “unprocessed”. The memories are stored in an emotional and physical way but lack the narrative piece that is so important in healing through trauma. You may notice yourself becoming dysregulated frequently, feeling scared, anxious, angry, but having difficulty identifying where these emotions are coming from. EMDR was created by Francine Shapiro after she noticed that mimicking the eye movements that happen during REM sleep (darting back and forth) while focusing on distressing memories actually reduced the amount of emotional and physical intensity of the memory. EMDR not only helps desensitize past traumatic memories, but it also helps us make more sense of our experiences and accompanying thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, “reprocessing” these memories in a healthy, natural way.

what is an emdr session like?

EMDR sessions utilize bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, vibrations, or audio tones). During the resourcing stage of EMDR therapy, you and your counselor will focus on self-soothing practices while utilizing slow bilateral stimulation to strengthen your ability to emotionally regulate. While these are practiced in session, your counselor will encourage you to consistently implement these practices outside of session. During desensitizing/reprocessing sessions, rapid bilateral stimulation will be used while you focus on distressing memories. This is done in a mindful and intentional way, making sure you stay within your window of tolerance. These sessions always end with a grounding, soothing practice to support you in leaving session regulated.

How do i book a session?

Wildwood Counseling offers complimentary 15 minute phone consultations to make sure we would be the best fit for your needs. Phone consultations can be booked here.