EMDR: How EMDR Can Heal Different Types of Trauma
For those who are familiar with EMDR therapy, you might think that it is only useful for those with PTSD. However, EMDR is incredibly versatile and can help those with many different kinds of trauma.
How Is Trauma Defined in EMDR?
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, defines trauma a bit differently than the average definition of the word trauma. Oftentimes, when someone hears the word trauma the immediate picture in their mind might look like a death in your immediate family, sexual trauma, or a serious car accident. While these are certainly very traumatic experiences, there are also “smaller” types of trauma that can have the same effect on us.
The term “smaller” in no way means that these scenarios are less traumatic. Instead, those smaller traumas may be little things that have happened to us since we were children that continue to occur in adulthood. In EMDR, trauma is defined as anything that has happened to us that continues to have a negative impact on us. This negative impact can affect us in many different aspects of our lives. Sometimes with these smaller traumas, we do not realize how much of an impact they have had on us. EMDR will help guide you through this journey and lead to healing from these traumatic events.
What If I Can’t Remember Where My Trauma Comes From?
Sometimes, we feel anxious or distressed about something, but we’re not really sure where that feeling is rooted. This may lead to some hesitancy about if EMDR will be successful with this uncertainty. Your therapist will help you float your mind back to remember a time when you have felt the way you do now. It may feel easier to float your mind back when you feel that your mind and body feel connected and safe.
The most important thing to remember is that there is absolutely no rush in this process. Your therapist will create a space for you to feel as comfortable as possible, and if it takes some time for you to get there, that is completely okay. Everyone’s minds and bodies move at different paces, so there is no “right” timeline for EMDR therapy.
What If My Trauma Happened Recently?
While some traumatic events may be rooted in childhood, if there is something that feels extremely disturbing to you that happened recently, your therapist will help work through that immediate distress through bilateral stimulation. Again, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to EMDR. This can provide you with some comfort regarding the fact that you will never be forced to reprocess or desensitize an event that you do not want to.
If something feels very top-of-mind for you, then you will work with your therapist to figure out what EMDR journey feels the most fitting for you. Even if you are in the middle of choosing a memory to reprocess, you are allowed to change that if it does not feel right in your body.
What If My Trauma Just Feels Like A Part Of Me?
When something has been on our shoulders for so long, we may forget what it feels like to be weightless. While this objectively may be a better feeling than the feeling of being weighed down, it is not something that we are used to.
It can feel very scary to take the leap and let go of our trauma. We might not know what our lives look outside of what we’ve carried for so long. In these moments, it is important to remember to be brave and see what it could look like on the other side. While change can be uncomfortable and scary, it is the one thing that will get us through.
Repose has many therapists trained in EMDR and are willing and excited to help you along this journey.
Services Offered At Repose Therapy
At Repose Therapy, our goal is to provide the best HOLISTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY services among other evidence-based therapy services to you. We enjoy working with college students, mothers, parents, couples, and individuals who are seeking better mental wellness in their life. If you’re struggling or trying to find a way to move forward, then our DIVERSE TEAM OF THERAPISTS would be thrilled to work with you. If grief counseling isn’t the service you’re seeking, no worries. We offer other services at our ONLINE THERAPY OFFICE IN NEW YORK, CONNECTICUT, AND NEW JERSEY. Other services include EMDR THERAPY, ANXIETY TREATMENT, PTSD TREATMENT, AND TRAUMA THERAPY, THERAPY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS, MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH, MARRIAGE COUNSELING AND COUPLES THERAPY, THERAPY FOR TEENS, LGBTQIA+ THERAPY, ART THERAPY, DANCE MOVEMENT THERAPY.
Additionally, we offer many GROUPS at our practice including an adult DBT skills group MANAGING EMOTIONS WITH DBT and Art Therapy, MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY, EMBRACING YOUR BODY, and a Ramadan group. If you’re interested in any of our other services, please reach out, we cannot wait to work with you as you improve your well-being and begin your journey towards healing.