A close up view of hazel eye during EMDR therapy session

EMDR Therapy in Michigan

 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an evidence-based therapy approach that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of trauma and many other mental health concerns. It is a sensory-based therapy that works to integrate both sides of the brain when processing past experiences or difficult situations.

The mind and body naturally have an internal healing system.  A lot of this natural coping mechanism happens during sleep, particularly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Stressful experiences or traumatic events may create barriers to the natural healing process. EMDR can help with this stuck-ness. EMDR was originally developed to successfully treat Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Since then, EMDR has been used to effectively treat a wide range of concerns.

Woman with blue eyes staring ahead representing eye movement desensitization reprocessing therapy

EMDR uses a process to organize your negative and positive feelings, emotions, and thoughts, and then uses bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or alternating tapping, as the way to help you effectively work through those disturbing memories.

EMDR processing helps you break through the emotional blocks that are keeping you from living an adaptive, emotionally healthy life. EMDR uses rapid sets of eye movements to help you update disturbing experiences, much like what occurs when we sleep. During sleep, we alternate between regular sleep and REM (rapid eye movement). This sleep pattern helps you process things that are troubling you. EMDR replicates this sleep pattern by alternating between sets of eye movements and brief reports about what you are noticing. This alternating process helps you update your memories to a healthier present perspective. EMDR seems to help the brain reprocess the trapped memories in a way that normal information processing is resumed. (Information taken from emdrconsulting.com. Click for full brochure.)        

What is EMDR Therapy?

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How does EMDR work? 

EMDR can speed up therapy by resolving the impact of your past traumas and allowing you to live more fully in the present. It is not the right fit for everyone. The process is fast, and any disturbing experiences, if they come up at all, usually last for a shorter period of time. It is important to be aware that during the process you may experience strong feelings or difficult thoughts. Your therapist will work with you to tap into and increase your coping resources before beginning re-processing. To learn more about some of the resourcing techniques your therapist may introduce you to visit https://www.resourcingcenter.com/ and view Calm/Peaceful Place and Building a Container.

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Can anyone benefit from EMDR?

EMDR was originally established as helpful for processing traumatic events and PTSD, but it has also been successfully used for:

Who does EMDR help?

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EMDR Therapists at Create Space Therapy

Create Space Therapist Gabriela, located in Plymouth and virtually throughout Michigan
Create Space Therapist Ashley Rone in Grosse Ile and virtually throughout Michigan

Release What No Longer Serves You

Recurring intrusive or painful memories may replay over and over in your mind. You might have found ways to cope with this like avoidance or other unhealthy behaviors that prevent you from living the life you want to live. EMDR helps clients to release painful feelings like fear, guilt, shame, and anger so that they can heal. EMDR will not take away all of the feelings or make you forget past events. EMDR can help your brain to develop new pathways and responses so the past does not take up so much space in your present.