EMDR

There are many approaches in counselling that can be helpful in creating change in your life. EMDR is one approach. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.
EMDR can help with:

• complicated grief
• addictions
• phobias
• performance anxiety
• body dysmorphia
• feeling frozen in time
• constantly reliving a traumatic experience such as a car accident, an injury, sexual violence or relationship abuse

Regardless of the source of distress or feeling overwhelmed, when a person is extremely upset the brain cannot process the event like it would ordinarily. You may be cycling through images, smells, sounds, or feelings. It can be exhausting to not only re-visit these experiences, but to also worry about when they might happen again and where you will be when they do. While these are the brain’s attempts at healing, it may leave you feeling helpless, disrupt your relationships and your sense of safety in the world, or lead to feelings of hopelessness.

The goal of EMDR therapy is not to simply talk about what happened, but to process completely the experiences that are causing problems and to include new experiences to help you live a healthy and complete life. Once the brain has “digested” the material, negative emotions, beliefs, and body sensations that were caused by unresolved events can be discarded.

Prior to beginning EMDR therapy, we build a foundation of safety, resources, and skills. In conjunction with other modalities such as Somatic Counselling, using EMDR to process traumatic material is highly efficient and effective.