“One must have a chaos inside oneself to give birth to a dancing star.
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EMDR Therapy: Healing Through Reprocessing
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful, evidence-based therapy designed to help people heal from traumatic memories as well as to reduce or even eliminate the emotional intensity of common phobias and anxieties. By using guided eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation, EMDR helps the brain reprocess traumatic experiences, allowing them to be archived in the body and brain in a way that does not disrupt current day functioning.
““The synthesis of somatic psychology and EMDR Therapy is an exciting advancement in mental health. As stand-alone therapies these are now considered to be two of the best trauma treatment models available. Integrating these therapies enhances the effectiveness of both.” ”
Somatic EMDR
The word somatic comes from the Ancient Greek word “soma”, meaning the body. Our Western culture places a huge emphasis on living from the mind and creates a split within us where we no longer feel at home in our body. But safety or lack of it is primarily experienced in the body…in sensations, and it is to the body that we must turn to fundamentally heal our traumas and to finally feel at peace and find wholeness within.
Paying particular attention to what is happening in the body as EMDR progresses allows us to excavate buried sensations and feelings that are impacting our daily sense of well being and release them from the body, restoring an innate sense of physical safety and agency. This dual approach radically increases the effectiveness of EMDR.
““Research has shown that about five hours of EMDR treatment eliminates PTSD in 84 to 100 percent of civilians with a single trauma experience, including rape, accident, or disaster.”
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Benefits of Somatic EMDR
Reduces symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):
Process and desensitize the negative memories, emotions, and physical sensations associated with trauma.
Improves anxiety and depression:
Identify and change negative thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to anxiety and depression.
Alleviates phobias and other specific fears:
Confront and overcome phobias and other specific fears by gradually increasing exposure to the feared stimuli.
Improves self-esteem and confidence:
By helping to process and heal from past traumas
Enhances emotional regulation:
Develop healthier coping mechanisms for managing emotions.
Improves interpersonal relationships:
Increase understanding and resolve conflicts in relationships.
Promotes lasting and rapid change:
Bilateral stimulation radically increases the speed of processing.