EMDR Therapy

You’re tired of feeling the overwhelm of flashbacks, dissociation, and nightmares. After years of trying to “get over” what happened, you just can’t seem to. The cycle of guilt, shame, and fear about what happened still holds you back from taking chances, forming new relationships, and meeting your goals. It’s lonely moving through the world feeling disconnected from yourself and the life you want to live. 

But, you are not the only person I’ve helped address traumatic experiences. With treatments like EMDR therapy and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, I can help you overcome the hold that trauma continues to have on you. We can find a way to help you reconnect with your purpose and find joy again.

What is EMDR Therapy?

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a specific type of treatment used to reduce and eliminate the effects of trauma and PTSD. EMDR has been around since the 1980s and is an evidence-based practice. This means it has been studied thoroughly and proven to help folks overcome the invasive effects of trauma. 

EMDR therapy is different than traditional talk therapy. The focus of EMDR is to harness the brain’s ability to heal itself. When you experience a traumatic event, like a physical or sexual assault, caregiver neglect, or another type of shame or fear-inducing situation, the memory is stored differently than everyday memories. This is what makes overcoming trauma so difficult. 

How Does EMDR Treat the Effects of Trauma?

When trauma happens, your body’s defensive system activates. Your heart starts beating really fast, your palms get sweaty, and adrenaline pulses through your body. Eventually, you are able to come down from the fear and panic of the situation. However, when you encounter something that reminds you of that event, like a smell, sound, or sight, you may have these physical experiences again. This is what being “triggered” or “encountering a trigger” is. 

What are triggers?

Triggers happen because of the brain’s inability to store traumatic memories properly. When you are triggered, you may not only feel physical sensations but also mental or emotional. After you encounter a trigger, it is very common to feel sad, angry, on-edge or exhausted. Or you could feel all of these things at once! This is because the brain incorrectly stores memories that bring up these physical and emotional sensations in the emotional part of the brain.

When these hurtful memories are stored in the brain, they often get “stuck.” Your brain is unable to process and store them correctly with your other day-to-day memories. This is why when you tell a friend a story about being at the grocery store, you don’t have overwhelming physical sensations and feelings flooding you. The memory is stored in a way without emotional sensations tied to it. So you are able to communicate about it in a logical, instead of emotional, way.

Bilateral Stimulation

The goal of EMDR is to decrease or eliminate the impacts of triggers. And this is where EMDR therapy becomes different than most other forms of trauma and PTSD treatment. To create this movement, EMDR therapy uses a unique element called bilateral stimulation. 

Bilateral stimulation is a process in which you will focus on back and forth motions with your eyes or body in order to activate the brain. This process helps you awaken the brain in order to do intentional work on your thought processes and emotions. Once the brain is activated, we will work through specific traumatic memories. The intention of bilateral stimulation is to connect your emotional center with your body. So, with EMDR, you will get in touch with your emotions in order to gain more control over them, instead of them having control over you.

Regaining control over your emotions helps you feel more balanced between your heart and your mind. Instead of experiencing triggers so intensely, you’ll be able to remain calm and present in the moment. You’ll be able to go from feeling scared and panicked to feeling calm when triggers arise. You will be able to tell yourself, “it makes sense that I was scared in this situation before, but now I can remain calm even in the presence of triggers.” After EMDR therapy, the negative emotional and physical impacts associated with the experience and triggers are lessened or eliminated altogether.

How does bilateral stimulation work?

The process of bilateral stimulation can be done in a few different ways. And as your EMDR therapist, I will help you find the right fit for you! With some clients, I wave my hand back and forth across the screen while they follow it with their eyes. For others, they will tap on each of their knees in a rhythmic pattern to get the brain stimulated. Another option is to use buzzers in each hand, which will physically create bilateral movement in the body.

In EMDR therapy, you don’t have to speak in detail about the experience as much as in other types of treatment. But of course, I am here to guide you and support you through the process. So, we will discuss whatever, whenever you are comfortable.

Joe’s Approach to EMDR Therapy

As a therapist helping folks with trauma, relationships, and sex, I am uniquely attuned and knowledgeable about the importance of the mind, body, and spirit connection. In trauma therapy, we will always focus on the way emotions and memories feel in the body. Often in trauma therapy and PTSD treatment, I use EMDR therapy and/or Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. I use these tools separately or together to help clients get in touch with the feelings and sensations taking place in the body.

Before we even begin diving into trauma and its impacts, we will establish a safe and soothing space for our work together. This applies to our work in the beginning stages as well as in each individual session. Before we start EMDR therapy, I want to learn about your values, identities, lived experiences, beliefs, and sexuality. It is important to me that we establish a relationship before taking a deep dive into your traumatic experiences. So, we will take time to build trust and develop a plan for our work together. 

When you start uncovering trauma and the shame, guilt, and negative beliefs that come with it, you might get overwhelmed. This makes sense, given that these are very impactful things you are processing. In order to prepare ourselves for this, I will help you find a safe “container” before we move into deeper trauma work. This means finding a way to help bring yourself back to the present moment and into a safe mental space. If we are ever in an EMDR therapy session and you find yourself feeling unsafe, we will have a plan to get back to a safer state of mind. 

Begin Online EMDR Therapy in Minnesota or Colorado

At my online therapy practice, I believe in my clients’ resiliency and potential. Over the years, I’ve helped folks overcome life-altering circumstances and heal emotional wounds. With empathy, intentional practices, and a safe space, I believe that you can heal. If trauma has been holding you back from getting the most of your relationships, sex life, or other areas, I’d be happy to help. I provide all of my services online in Colorado and Minnesota. If you live in either of these states and are ready to see what EMDR is all about, please schedule a free phone consultation with me.