I practice a kind of therapy called Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. I was trained by EMDR Humanitarian Aid Project in 2010. Since then, I have found EMDR to be highly effective in treating major and minor trauma.
EMDR is not just for trauma, it can also help you to move out of situations in which you feel stuck because of a lack of understanding or insight about yourself or a situation. EMDR has the potential to be a rich process of self-discovery by tapping into to the unconscious mind. EMDR can be a process of re-discovery of self. This process may reveal things you have forgotten, but I have never known it to present entirely new memories.
I began working with clients using EMDR over Telehealth during the pandemic and found that it was just as effective as in-person treatment – or even more so. If you are interested in this therapy, I will be happy to answer any questions you may have, I also encourage you to research this technique online.
The following description is from The EMDR Institute:
“EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR training sessions, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing processes.”
For more specific information on what it’s like to engage in EMDR therapy, please visit EMDR International Association