Trauma
Working with clients who have experienced a trauma is a specialty of mine. Traumas come in various sorts. It may be a single incident, such as a rape or car accident, or repeated over time, such as childhood abuse or domestic violence. It may be something less dramatic, such as being teased by your peers when you were young or rejected by a friend, but these events can also have a lasting impact. Witnessing violence can also be traumatizing. Our brains naturally process difficult situations and disturbing events, but sometimes the processing of traumas gets stuck and your brain believes that you are still back in that situation. These are situations when EMDR can be particularly helpful because it allows these past experiences to become unstuck and processed so you can move on to more fully living in the present.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. It has also been used to treat a variety of conditions including other anxiety disorders, depression, and personality disorders, though these areas have been less researched. EMDR is not for everyone. Appropriateness for EMDR must be evaluated by your therapist.
Although EMDR may appear on the surface to be a simple counseling technique, it is actually a complex approach, containing numerous components that are considered to contribute to treatment effects. For this reason, it is important that if you are seeking EMDR, you look for someone who has completed training through the EMDR Institute or an EMDRIA-Approved Trainer. For detailed information about EMDR, please visit the above websites.