EMDR is an evidenced based therapy that can be effective in helping you process and heal:
- past traumas
- recent traumas
- overwhelming life experiences
- negative self beliefs
- anxiety / phobias
- depression
- addiction
EMDR is “a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences.”
(EMDR Institute emdr.com)
Some of the ways that EMDR supports you in healing:
- Supports an individual’s own healing system
- Get to the roots of long held negative self beliefs or ways of responding.
- Integrates memories so that your system recognizes them as happening in the past rather than reliving them in the present.
- Recognized by the World Health Organization as an effective treatment for PTSD.
Dandelion
A metaphor that I find helpful in describing EMDR is that of a dandelion or plant with deep roots. Think of a dandelion growing on a lawn. When you the mow the lawn, the top of the dandelion will be gone, but it will continue to come back until you deal with the roots. Our current experiences and reactions to people and situations are at the top of the dandelion. We will continue to live from our traumas or past disturbances until we deal with the roots of where they started.
Here are some resources if you’d like to explore more information about EMDR:
EMDRIA What is EMDR
Introduction to EMDR Therapy (video)
Joanne Scofield, Registered Psychotherapist 