EMDR Therapy

Internationally recognized trauma treatment

What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an 8 phase psychotherapy treatment that is designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. EMDR can also be used as a supplemental service to provide tools for central nervous system regulation.

Watch video below provided by my EMDR training agency to learn more about EMDR treatment

EMDR Can Help Reduce Symptoms with….

  • PTSD

  • Complex PTSD

  • Anxiety

  • Panic Disorders

  • Depression

  • Somatic symptoms

  • Phobias

  • Social Anxiety Disorder

  • Agoraphobia

Types of EMDR treatment

EMDR- Broad/wide focus. Treatment is typically long-term and focused on treating various traumatic experiences.

Good treatment option for PTSD, childhood trauma, and complex PTSD.

EMDr (AKA little r)- A more focused approach. We may only focus on one traumatic experience and only allow processing related to that experience.

Good treatment option for processing one traumatic event and associated events

EMD- Very narrow focus. Only focusing on one event that occurred. Client’s only process that event and do not process various associations outside that event.

Good treatment option for someone who only wants to process one specific event.

Only Phase II (Preparation) EMDR Phase 2 provides immersive guided visualizations with use of bilateral stimulation to aid with strengthen positive associations within the central nervous system.

Great resource for clients who want to feel more safety within their body and does not want to engage in desensitization processing.

  • When I first was leaning about EMDR in college I honestly grazed over the topic. I thought, “How can moving your eyes back and forth really help trauma?” I thought the tried and true therapy methods were: talk therapy, CBT, and mindfulness interventions. When I was offered a training I thought I would try out this new treatment modality and see what all the hype was about. In the training they allowed therapist to practice on each other and use the treatment methods we would be providing. When it was my turn to be the, “client” I opened up a can of worms that was hidden for 10 years. I had to get my own EMDR therapist after the training to continue the processing outside the training. I am now a skeptic turned believer.

  • MDR was first discovered by Francine Shapiro in 1987. As she was walking through a park she noticed as she was having disturbing thoughts her eyes would move very rapidly back and forth. Shapiro became curious and began exploring the impact eye moments had on distressing thoughts. Her first controlled study was in 1989 with 22 participants. All participants experienced some sort of trauma including abuse, sexual assault, or Vietnam combat and suffered from PTSD. Research showed anxiety levels decreased and positive cognitive reconstruction occurred. Over the years research has also found EMDR to reduce symptoms of depression, psychosis, anxiety, pain relief, phobias, OCD, and addiction. EMDR is now internationally recognized and used as a front-line treatment for veterans with PTSD in the USA.

EMDR Phases of Treatment

  • Clinician assesses client’s readiness for EMDR. History of trauma is collected and treatment goals are identified

  • The foundation is set up for treatment in this phase. Clinician and client build a therapeutic relationship, EMDR is explained, and preferred bilateral stimulation is chosen. In sessions clinician will provide “resourcing” tools to aid with finding safety within your body and strengthen positive associations within your central nervous system. These skills are crucial for setting the stage for processing

  • “Target” is set for treatment and clinician guides you through a quick assessment before desensitization occurs

  • Clinician guides you through a standard protocol for EMDR treatment to aid with processing disturbing memories/ thoughts/emotions/sensations. In desensitization you will focus on the clinician’s prompts and rate your subjective units of disturbance (SUDs) throughout processing. Once SUDS reaches 0 (no disturbance) you will begin positive installation

  • You will identify a positive cognition that fits what you want to believe about yourself or the trauma. This phrase comes from assessment, but may change throughout processing. clinician then provided bilateral stimulation to process and integrate this new belief.

  • The clinician carefully checks for any somatic disturbances present within the body while offering Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) processing to facilitate emotional healing and regulation. This approach helps

  • After processing traumatic memories, the therapist guides the client through closure techniques to help stabilize their emotions and integrate the experiences. Resourcing tools may be utilized along with client's preferred coping skills.

Clinical considerations: Before engaging in EMDR treatment I will be sure to assess readiness in Phase 1 and 2 before processing . Clients who experience dissociation, difficulty with emotional recognition, and overall untrusting towards process may experience treatment resistance. I am willing to work on these concerns in the preparation phase of treatment. 

I do not treat clients experiencing substance use concerns, but can provide referrals to a specialist in the Wilmington community who does provide EMDR treatment for substance use disorders.