Are you experiencing the signs and symptoms of trauma?
- Do you have intrusive thoughts that come to come out of nowhere?
- Nightmares?
- Visual images you don’t want?
- Loss of memory or concentration?
- Confusion?
- Do you avoid activities or places that trigger memories?
- Isolate yourself socially?
- Lack interest in activities that used to be enjoyable?
- Do you startle easily?
- Experience fatigue or exhaustion?
- Edginess?
- Insomnia?
- Sexual dysfunction?
- Any changes in eating patterns?
- Any obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors?
- Detachment from people or emotions?
- Numbing?
- Depression?
- Guilt?
- Shame?
- Shock?
- Anger?
- Anxiety?
- Panic?
If you answered yes to any of these, you may be experiencing trauma.
Are you experiencing the effects of trauma?
Trauma puts us in a place where we might be tempted to do some things that are not good for us like:
- drink too much
- try drugs
- use sex to feel better
- make a mess of relationships
- become hostile
- argue with others
- withdraw socially
- behave in self-destructive ways
- do impulsive things
- put off making important and healthy decisions
You are not alone!
Most of us have experienced trauma…61% of men and 51% of women report traumatic experiences at least once in their lifetime. You are not alone! The good news is that with the help of a compassionate, experienced therapist you will recover from trauma.
I know you can heal, because I did. Not only that, but we have more tools now than we have ever had to help people heal from trauma. EMDR and Internal Family Systems are two of the approaches that I have been using to help people heal.
You probably have a lot of questions about therapy. I know I would.
- Is it necessary to tell you all the details of my problem? No, it is not necessary to talk about all the details of your experiences for them to be processed.
- Will I get emotional? Yes, you may. Emotions and sensations may come up during processing; although, you will be prepared and I will help you safely manage them. Once memories are processed, they rarely come back!
- Is EMDR like hypnosis? No, during EMDR processing, you are present and fully in control.
How does trauma therapy get planned?
- You express your concerns to me.
- I will help you understand the dynamics of the concerns you present and help you understand how to manage them in a healthy way.
- We will come up with an overall treatment plan to accomplish your goals.
- With that treatment plan, EMDR, along with other therapy approaches we will chart a course forward and work toward your treatment goals.
The EMDR Session
- You will be asked a set of questions to access and activate the negative experiences and the desired adaptive resolution.
- Sets of rapid eye movements (or other forms of bilateral stimulation) will be applied.
- You will be encouraged to just “free associate” and allow the brain to work through the experience.
- Sets of eye movements will be alternated with brief reports about what you are experiencing.
- EMDR processing will continue until the past experience has been updated to an adaptive present perspective.
- With long standing issues, this process may take multiple sessions. We offer extended sessions for those who need more than 45 minute sessions.
Using what you’ve learned
Once the disturbing experiences have been updated, you and I will work together to integrate these new insights and perspectives into your daily life. I will also show you how to work through disturbing situations on your own so that you won’t need me every time something difficult happens.
What is different about EMDR?
- EMDR focuses on the brain’s ability to constantly learn, taking past experiences, and updating them with present information.
- Adaptive learning is constantly updating memory network systems.
- Past emotionally-charged experiences often interfere with your updating process.
- EMDR breaks through that interference and helps you let go of the past and update your experiences to a healthier present perspective.
- EMDR uses a set of procedures to organize your negative and positive feelings, emotions, and thoughts, and then uses bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, alternate tapping, as the way to help you effectively work through those distributing memories.
What is EMDR?
EMDR, as with most therapy approaches, focuses on the individual’s present concerns. The EMDR approach believes past emotionally-charged experiences are overly influencing your present emotions, sensations, and thoughts about yourself. As an example; “do you ever feel worthless although you know you are a worthwhile person?”
EMDR processing helps you break through the emotional blocks that are keeping you from living an adaptive, emotionally-healthy life.
EMDR uses rapid sets of eye movements to help you update disturbing experiences, much like what occurs between regular sleep and REM (rapid eye movement). This sleep pattern helps you process things that are troubling you.
EMDR replicates this sleep pattern by alternating between sets of eye movements and brief reports about what you are noticing. This alternating process helps you update your memories to a healthier present perspective.
If you have questions about trauma therapy
Call or text me at 508-293-1611 or email me through the contact form so we can discuss your questions.
Group Therapy
I also provide trauma recovery groups. To get more info about the group call or text me at 508-293-1611 or email me through the contact form.