Broken Pieces to Wholeness
When we experience things that overwhelm our brain, the information can get stored in fragments. After the experience, our older, logic brain may have learned one thing, while other part(s) of us still have the information from the past.
Through EMDR, you an access the old information and have it dissolve into the adaptive networks in the brain to ultimately move into wholeness. What once was a junk drawer of information our brain wasn’t able to make sense of at the time becomes an adaptive whole self, free to thrive with the information now stored in appropriate filing cabinets in our brain. What’s more, we often find that it is because of the icky parts of our experience that we are equipped with a newfound depth of awareness and capacity for empathy and compassion, for ourselves and others.
How EMDR began
In the late 1980s, Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., discovered a connection between eye movement and persistent upsetting memories. With this personal insight, she began to study and develop a new form of therapy—EMDR.
Over the years, and in the face of initial skepticism, Dr. Shapiro’s work developed from a hypothesis to a formal therapy process. EMDR therapy has been demonstrated to be effective for treating trauma in randomized clinical trials, case studies, and millions of clinical hours treating trauma and trauma-related disorders across the globe.
Is EMDR Right for Me?
You and your therapist will partner to determine if EMDR therapy is right for you. Sometimes it is helpful to build a “resource team” and address concerns and/or other presenting issues before jumping into standard EMDR procedures. A beautiful thing about EMDR is that your brain leads the way, so your therapy is uniquely tailored to your own needs.
According to the EMDR Institute, EMDR is an effective form of treatment for those of all ages and is used to address:
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Phobias
- Chronic illness and medical issues
- Depression and bipolar disorders
- Dissociative disorders
- Eating disorders
- Grief and loss
- Pain
- Performance anxiety
- Personality disorders
- PTSD and other trauma and stress-related issues
EMDR and You
Listen as Amanda Martin, LMHC and practice owner, shares a brief explanation of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), emphasizing how you, the client, remain in control throughout the entire healing journey as we access fragmented information and allow the brain to adaptively integrate it into a whole, beautiful mosaic story, freeing you to live organically in the present moment.
Ready to Take the Step?
Make an appointment, or chat with one of our licensed counselors.
