Event Occurs
Brain tries to make sense of the event
Brain analyzes whether this information is important and needs to stay relevant in the short-term memory bank....
or get processed into the long-term memory bank
Brain adaptively stores information in the long-term memory bank since it is no longer relevant or helpful to recall day-to-day...
This leaves space in the short-term memory bank for more important information.
HOW MEMORIES ARE FORMED
Upsetting Event Occurs
Brain tries to make sense of the event...
and scans for previous memories that evoke the same thoughts or feelings
Rather than transfer the memory into your long-term memory bank...
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your brain goes into survival mode
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and keeps the memory "fresh" in the short-term memory bank,
just in case you need the information in the future.
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Your brain is trying to help you by storing all the body sensations, emotions and thoughts that occurred with the original event.
Your brain maladaptively keeps information in the short-term memory bank...
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which means that day-to-day triggers...
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whether it is an interaction with a person, a smell, a place, someone's facial expression...
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will "light up" memories from the past traumatic experience
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and your body and brain will be convinced the old experience is happening again.
TRAUMA MEMORIES ARE DIFFERENT
Upsetting Event Occurs
OR
Mulitple Upsetting Events Occur
Brain keeps all the experiences in the short-term memory bank,
leading to anxiety, depression, critical self-talk, etc
Your therapist will ask you to bring up the old experience (or one memory that represents a theme or cluster of memories)...
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along with all the negative beliefs, body sensations and emotions associated with the experience...
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and you'll be asked to "hold" the entire experience while the therapists provides a technique called bilateral stimulation--
back-and-forth movements that stimulate your brain in a way that helps to process the experience and make more positive neural connections.
This type of exposure in a safe, calm setting, will help your brain reorganize these memories so that they get digested into your long-term memory bank, where they belong!
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Your brain organically realizes
"I'm not back there" and
"it's not happening now"
so that things that used to remind you of that upsetting experience become neutral and more easily tolerated.
HOW EMDR WORKS
EMDR THERAPY
Eye-Movement Desensitzation and Reprocessing
What is EMDR?
How EMDR Stands Out
EMDR is an evidence-based approach proven to help people recover from:
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Trauma
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Relationship issues
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And much more
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Research-Based: EMDR is grounded in neuroscience and based on research about how trauma effects the brain.
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Effective for Traumatic Memories: Helps particularly upsetting memories become "unstuck."
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Holistic Healing: You'll not only (cognitively) know you are good, loved, and safe, but you'll feel it in your core and body.
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Rapid and Lasting Results: Most people experience faster, more effective, and longer-lasting outcomes.
Treatment Options
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Brief EMDR
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​Typical treatment is 50-minute sessions that continue for about 3 - 6 months
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Effective for clients who are seeing a long-term therapist but feel stuck in a particular area of their life
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EMDR Intensives
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Highly focused sessions lasting 2 - 3 hours at a time, sometimes in the same week or the same day.
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Clients report feeling more grounded at the end of session; they feel less raw, and better prepared to move forward becasue we reseve time to ground before leaving session.
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More effective: We dive in deeper, stay there longer, and have more time to ground and stabilize before leaving session.
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Time efficient: Each Intensive session is equivalent to 2- 3 weeks' worth of therapy!
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The EMDR Approach
EMDR stands for Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy. The premise of the theory is that if you focus your attention on movement that goes from Left - Right ("bilateral") while thinking about an upsetting memory, it lessens (desensitizes) the overall intensity of the memory, including any images, beliefs, emotions and body sensations associated with the memory. EMDR allows us to access the painful past while we remain safe in the present moment. EMDR is non-invasive and is different from traditional talk therapies. In fact, healing occurs when you naturally allow emotions and body sensations to come up as we reflect on them without judgment. We will approach your memories from a stance of curiosity and compassion to create lasting change.