Do you know someone who’s tried EMDR therapy?
Have they mentioned the positive effect it’s had on their life?
EMDR has proven a highly effective treatment for thousands of people worldwide, but it’s always good to understand why and how it works before you choose it for yourself.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a psychotherapy treatment created in the 1980s by Dr. Francine Shapiro. The original intent behind EMDR was to alleviate symptoms caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
How EMDR Is Used as a Treatment
While EMDR is often used to treat trauma, its popularity as a treatment for many other mental health issues is rising.
Unlike many other therapy techniques that treat symptoms, EMDR therapy explores the root causes.
Other areas where EMDR is expanding its reach and proving an effective treatment are depression, anxiety, and related disorders like panic attacks and phobias.
Depression affects millions and is often symptomatic of daily issues people face. EMDR can help ease depression by working through the contributing factors.
Other areas where EMDR is helping people deal with their issues include:
- Fears and Phobias
- Addiction treatment
- Eating disorders
- Grief
- Complex PTSD
- Chronic pain
- Anxiety
- Childhood trauma
How Long Does It Take for EMDR to Deliver Results?
EMDR is popular for many reasons, but rapid results are perhaps the most compelling incentive to try it.
Fast results do not mean EMDR is a quick fix. Instead, it’s better to think of it as an alternative to more traditional methods of working through mental health issues.
If you are considering whether EMDR is suitable for you, it’s essential to consider how long you will need to undergo treatment before you start seeing positive results.
Even if you choose EMDR, the amount of time you spend in therapy will be unique to your needs. In our experience, most people feel the benefits in as little as 10 to 12 sessions.
EMDR Has Been Proven Effective
When you’ve been left frustrated by other therapy techniques, your next step should be to consider EMDR.
Traditional therapies, often called Talk Therapy, are still the primary treatment method for many psychotherapists, but results vary significantly between individuals. One of the features of EMDR that people appreciate is that it doesn’t require lengthy sessions of talking about past traumas and experiences.
Instead, EMDR is designed to activate the body’s own psychological healing processes by allowing your mind to process your issues without discussing them at length.
Some experiences are too painful to dredge up, and talking about them is akin to reliving the experience. While communication is still required, EMDR treatments do not force you to focus on the details because it uses a technique known as free association.
What Next?
If you’ve tried other therapy techniques without results, EMDR could be a valuable alternative. Many people have achieved excellent outcomes by switching to EMDR when nothing else worked, and it could do the same for you.
Visit our page Trauma Treatment for more information. If you want to know whether EMDR will work for you, schedule our free consultation to talk with one of our therapists.