Your therapist in Sugar Land Discusses The Benefits and Effectiveness of EDMR Therapy for Trauma, Anxiety, and PTSD
People who deal with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) or traumatic memories benefit the most from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR therapy), an evidence-based, clinician led, psychotherapy.
EMDR can help people who feel stress and anxiety in their lives, heal from life disturbing events such as divorce, life transitions, grief and anxiety, as well as from traumatic events such as rape, sexual abuse, car accidents, etc.
The goal for my patients using EMDR therapy is to find out where the memories are connected to trauma. To take away the reaction to the memory and teach them how to cope with it, with the goal of removing the physical/mental reactions we currently have with the memory (heart pounding, crying, disassociating etc.).
So, today I want to talk about exactly what EMDR Therapy is and how it can be an effective form of therapy for those suffering from anxiety, PTSD and more…
Your therapist in Sugar Land explains What EMDR Therapy is:
EMDR Therapy, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, is an integrated therapy used to help people heal from traumatic or life disturbing events.
When a person experiences distress and can’t find a way to overcome it on their own, EMDR can help. Sometimes people struggle to find a way to integrate events and it becomes an unprocessed memory stored in the brain that creates uncomfortable symptoms.
Physical symptoms or emotions, thoughts, and memories associated with that event can get locked in there and without treatment, can lead to anxiety and other frustrating symptoms and behaviors.
EMDR Therapy was developed to help a person identify and process these “stuck memories” in order to decrease the negative symptoms. It helps facilitate the activation in the brain’s ability to process and integrate information stored in the memory of the brain helping you to be able to remember the experience without the negative emotional reactions or distress associated with it before treatment. We can never make a memory go away, but we can significantly decrease the emotional pain associated with the experience.
It’s particularly effective for individuals who struggle talking about and opening up about their past and is used to treat:
Depression
Anxiety
PTSD
Panic attacks
Eating disorders
Addictions
The 8 phases of EMDR Therapy according to your therapist in Sugar Land
EMDR Therapy is broken down into 8 phases and could take as little as 12 sessions to complete. Below is an ideal situation of how an EMDR treatment plan would look:
History and treatment plan. In phase 1 I will review your history and determine where you are in the treatment process as you talk about your trauma and identify traumatic memories that we specifically need to treat.
Preparation. I will help you learn different ways to cope with the stress or anxiety you’re experiencing.
Assessment. Together we will identify the specific memories to target and all of the physical sensations or emotions you experience when you think about each target memory.
Treatment (phases 4-7). Phases 4-7 include therapy techniques to treat your targeted memories as you focus on them. It includes specific eye movements or bilateral stimulation that could include taps or other movements mixed in.
Treatment
Treatment
Treatment
Evaluation. In the final phase, you’ll be asked to evaluate your progress and I will do the same for you.
Your Sugar Land therapist explains the benefits of EMDR Therapy
Studies in the past have proven that EMDR is significantly more efficient in reducing symptoms of PTSD during and immediately after treatment. Some people prefer this treatment over medications that may cause side effects, while others find that EMDR Therapy strengthens the effectiveness of medications they currently take.
80% of trauma survivors appear to have a significant decrease in their symptoms after just three sessions of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy.
Curious if you can benefit from EMDR Therapy? Give me a call today at 713-548-3367.
