Heal From Trauma With EMDR Now
EMDR therapy can help you overcome trauma-related mental health disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Call us today or visit our admissions page to get started.
We believe that recovery from mental illness is not only attainable, but sustainable.
When someone experiences trauma, the effects can linger for months or even years. The symptoms can arise at any time and cause discord in a person’s personal, professional, and educational lives. Sometimes the individual may not seek therapy because they feel nothing can help them.
Others may have tried talk therapy but not get the positive results they need. In either case, the answer may lie in attending EMDR therapy. Brandywine Center offers this innovative type of therapy to help people put their traumatic memories to rest. In fact, our trained therapists use EMDR to put people at ease when it comes to many different types of mental health disorders.
Anyone interested in knowing how we can help them move on from the negative impact trauma has had on them can contact us and find out how we can help.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR, which is short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is the use of directed eye movements to help people stimulate their brains to access subconscious emotions. The therapist may also use tapping motions or hand movements. The person follows the therapist’s instructions while recounting details of the trauma they have suffered. For someone with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex trauma, this can help them turn the corner in healing from their symptoms.
EMDR therapy began implementation in 1987 to treat people with PTSD and later was adapted to treat other mental health disorders and conditions. Sessions take place one to two times per week and can be completed in six to twelve sessions. EMDR therapy is provided by mental health professionals who train to become equipped to provide this therapy modality for trauma survivors. They can also use it to help people overcome other mental health disorders and challenges to their mental and physical health.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
The science behind EMDR therapy involves the use of bilateral stimulation. This type of stimulation affects both the right and left sides of a person’s brain. Each side of the brain is responsible for certain aspects of how the mind works. The left side relates to how people process language, as well as their memory associations, and positive emotions. The right side of the brain relates to how people process visual things, as well as their spatial reasoning, and negative emotions.
When undergoing bilateral stimulation, both sides of the brain are impacted. This helps the individual begin to process how they remember their trauma and how it impacts them. Many people who complete EMDR therapy report no longer having ill effects like flashbacks and other symptoms of trauma-based illnesses.
How We Implement EMDR Therapy in Our Mental Health Programs
Our EMDR therapy is done in accordance with the eight phases that should be done in the following order:
Phase 1: History and Treatment Planning
In the initial phase, the therapist and client explore the client’s history to identify specific traumatic events or troubling memories that will be targeted during EMDR therapy. This phase involves developing a comprehensive treatment plan that maps out the key memories or current situations that cause distress, as well as desired outcomes for the therapy.
Phase 2: Preparation
The second phase is crucial for establishing trust and explaining the EMDR process to the client. The therapist teaches the client several stress-reduction techniques and coping mechanisms to ensure they can manage emotional distress both during and outside of therapy sessions. This stage sets the foundation for the client to handle the emotional and psychological intensity that can come with processing traumatic memories.
Phases 3-6: Assessment, Desensitization, Installation, Body Scan
- Phase 3: Assessment – The therapist identifies the vivid visual image related to the memory, a negative belief about self, related emotions and body sensations. The client also identifies a positive belief they would like to have.
- Phase 4: Desensitization – This phase focuses on processing the distressing memory in detail through EMDR therapy techniques, primarily through bilateral stimulation (e.g., eye movements). The goal is to reduce the client’s emotional response to the memory.
- Phase 5: Installation – The focus here is to strengthen the positive belief that the client wants to have post-processing of the traumatic memory. The therapist helps the client link the positive belief with the memory, replacing the negative thoughts.
- Phase 6: Body Scan – The client is asked to think of the traumatic event and observe their body for any residual tension or unusual sensations. If any disturbances are detected, these are targeted for further processing.
Phases 7-8: Closure and Reevaluation
- Phase 7: Closure – This phase ensures that the client leaves every session feeling better than when they arrived. If the processing of the traumatic memory is not completed during the session, the therapist will use various techniques to bring the client back to a state of equilibrium.
- Phase 8: Reevaluation – At the beginning of subsequent sessions, the therapist checks the client’s current psychological state and the progress made towards the treatment goals. The previous sessions’ memories are reviewed to ensure that the processing is complete, and new areas that need to be addressed are identified.
Begin EMDR Therapy Today
Brandwine Center is a leader in the provision of mental health treatment in Delaware. If you or a loved one are struggling with mental illness, reach out to us today or verify your insurance now.
What Types of Mental Health Disorders Can EMDR Therapy Treat?
EMDR therapy is a valuable tool for treating PTSD and complex trauma, but it also can help people with a host of other types of disorders. Many people seek EMDR for trauma-based disorders, as well as the following:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Phobias
- Dissociative disorders
- Long-term grief
- Substance use disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Eating disorders
- Chronic pain
Our therapists will determine your exact diagnosis and plan the right kind of EMDR therapy
to help you.
What to Expect During EMDR Therapy
Discussions about past or current trauma can trigger feelings of unease, but the therapist will be there to help the person soothe themselves. They are free at any moment to discuss any level of discomfort to make the EMDR process as easy as possible. Some people experience side effects from this type of therapy, but they are typically mild and short-lived. Side effects include feeling tired, headaches, vivid dreams, and lightheadedness.
Is EMDR Therapy Right For Me?
It’s important to establish if EMDR therapy is right for a person or not. A thorough discussion will take place with each person to determine if they are a good candidate for EMDR. Things to determine during the discussion include whether or not the person deals with continuing symptoms of trauma-based illnesses or other types of disorders.
Some people use a combination of talk therapy and EMDR, while others may use their EMDR therapy as a follow-up to types of therapy they have already completed.
Begin EMDR Therapy Today
Are you thinking that attending our EMDR therapy might be the right move for you? Brandywine Center welcomes anyone interested in pursuing better mental health by using this up-to-date, highly effective type of therapy. One of our staff of skilled therapists will explain how the procedure will work and gently guide you through the EMDR process. Our goal is to assist people who need help getting over the hump of having troubling symptoms and memories of trauma to find a new peace of mind. We can also use EMDR to treat other types of mental illnesses.
Contact us today and ask us any questions you have about our popular EMDR therapy program. We can also provide a free insurance verification.