I am trained in a trauma therapy modality called EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Yeah, it’s a mouthful. And while science still does not fully understand the complexity of how the brain processes trauma (this is true of any therapeutic model), the process of EMDR is actually quite simple.

Think of REM. No, not the band (eye-roll)– the event that happens while you are sleeping called Rapid Eye Movement. This is what happens while you are in a dream state. Your eyes move back-and-forth quickly and your brain sees pictures that we call dreams. What is actually happening is your brain is processing the little stresses (or what I like to call “little ‘t’ traumas) that have happened through the day. The movie “Inside Out” did a great job of showing how the brain processes memory.

And this is what makes EMDR so powerful. It works beyond the short-term-oriented logical and conscious brain and gives the psyche space to access memories, feelings, and thoughts that have been moved into long-term memory. It really is a powerful tool. I have witnessed client-after-client look at me with awe and say, “I haven’t thought about that in years!” And, ironically, that memory was the very piece that had been missing in their healing.

If you would like to know more about EMDR, I have made a nice little infographic here. I would also love to work with you and can even provide EMDR via teletherapy. Contact me via the contact page. If you have tried traditional talk therapy and are not making the progress that you would like to make in your trauma recovery, perhaps EMDR is the tool for you.