Eye Movement Desensitization
& Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR, offered at Cypress Counseling, can help you process difficult or traumatic experiences, reduce their emotional impact, and move forward with a greater sense of calm and safety.
Why Can a Memory Feel So Powerful?
Think about a time when you smelled a familiar scent and suddenly remembered a person, place, or moment from years ago.
Your brain naturally makes connections between experiences, emotions, physical sensations, and memories.
After a frightening, painful, or overwhelming experience, those connections can sometimes remain especially intense. You may know intellectually that the event is over, but your body and nervous system may continue reacting as though you are still in danger..
This can show up as:
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Anxiety, panic, or always "on edge"
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Nightmares
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Intrusive thoughts or memories
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Avoidance of people, places, or situations
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Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected
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Strong emotional reactions that don't match the situation
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Physical symptoms and tension
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Feeling unsafe when you are actually safe
EMDR can help reduce the intensity of these reactions and create a greater sense of emotional distance from the memory. The goal is to make past experiences feel less overwhelming in the present.
What Can EMDR Help People With?
EMDR was originally developed to help people experiencing trauma and PTSD, but it has since been used to address a variety of concerns.
EMDR may be helpful when difficult experiences continue to affect your sense of safety, how you feel, how you see yourself, your relationships, or how you respond to situations in your daily life. Even when you understand an experience logically, the emotions connected to it may still feel overwhelming or difficult to work through.
Depending on your individual circumstances, EMDR may help with difficulties related to:
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Trauma and PTSD
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Childhood experiences
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Anxiety and panic
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Grief and loss
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Shame and guilt
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Distressing memories
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Difficult relationship experiences
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Negative beliefs about yourself overwhelming emotional reactions.
EMDR is not a one-size-fits-all treatment. We'll take the time to understand what you're experiencing and together we can determine whether EMDR may be a helpful approach for you.
Why EMDR Works?
One of the things that makes EMDR different from traditional talk therapy is that you do not necessarily have to spend a great deal of time talking in detail about everything that happened.
EMDR is based on the idea that distressing experiences can sometimes remain "stuck" or not fully processed, leaving the memories connected to intense emotions, physical sensations, or negative beliefs.
During EMDR, you may briefly focus on a difficult memory, thought, emotion, or body sensation while engaging in bilateral stimulation.
Bilateral stimulation simply means providing stimulation to both sides of the body or attention in a rhythmic, alternating way.
This might involve:
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Following my fingers with your eyes
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Alternating tones through headphones
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Gentle vibrating "taps" or other forms of tactile stimulation
EMDR aims to help your brain reprocess distressing memories so they become less emotionally overwhelming and no longer have the same impact on your present-day life.
Research supports EMDR as a treatment for PTSD, and researchers continue to explore its potential benefits for other concerns.
Do I Have to Share Every Detail of
My Experience?
No.
You are in control of what happens and what you share.
Although some discussion of your experiences may be part of EMDR, you do not necessarily have to describe every detail of something painful or traumatic. We can focus on what you feel comfortable sharing while working together to understand what you need from therapy.
We will move at a pace that feels manageable, and you can ask to pause or take a break whenever you need to. You should never feel pressured to move faster than you are ready for.
Before beginning more intensive memory processing, we will spend time building your sense of safety and developing coping tools to help you manage difficult emotions that may come up.
EMDR is also not something that should be rushed. Establishing safety, trust, and readiness is an important part of the process. The goal is to support you, not to overwhelm you or make you relive an experience as though it is happening again.
What Happens During an EMDR Session?
EMDR involves more than just sitting down and moving your eyes from side to side. There is a structured therapeutic process behind it.
Before we begin processing memories, I will get to know you, understand what brings you to therapy, and helping you develop tools for managing difficult emotions.
When you feel ready, we may identify a specific experience to work with and explore the thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations connected to it.
I may ask you to notice things such as:
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What do you remember?
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A particular image, moment, or part of the experience.
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What thoughts do you have about yourself?
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For example, “I'm not safe,” “It was my fault,” or “I'm powerless.”
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What emotions come up?
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Such as fear, sadness, anger, shame, or guilt.
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What do you notice in your body?
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Perhaps tightness in your chest, a racing heart, tension, or a feeling in your stomach.
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I will then guide you through brief periods of processing while using bilateral stimulation. Between sets, we will check in together and notice what comes up.
You don't have to force anything or figure everything out. Your job is simply to notice what comes up while we work through the process together.
Is EMDR Right for Me?
EMDR can be a helpful approach for many people, but it is not necessarily the right fit for everyone or every situation.
When deciding if EMDR may be beneficial for you we have to consider your:
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Experiences
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Current circumstances
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Treatment goals
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Emotional Readiness
Sometimes, other forms of therapy or additional preparation may be more appropriate before beginning EMDR.
A consultation is a good place to start sharing what you've been experiencing, asking questions, and exploring together whether EMDR may be a good fit for you.
Therapy should be collaborative, so you don't need to know exactly what you need or decide on a treatment approach before our first conversation. We'll work together to find an approach, or combination of approaches, that feels right for you and that support your unique needs and goals.