EMDR
The short answer to the question, “What is Psychotherapy?” is “talk therapy.”
Exploring our challenges, fears, concerns, and emotions by talking about them is a powerful way to understand ourselves, process experiences, and move forward.
We benefit from hearing ourselves say things out loud, and we benefit from doing that in a safe, non-judgmental, unbiased space where we can receive support, validation, alternative perspectives, and practical strategies.
Sometimes, though, talk is not enough.
We can reach what I call a “logic barrier,” a point where we understand logically that certain thoughts, feelings, or behaviours “don’t make sense,” but they continue, even though we don’t want them to or we know they “shouldn’t.”
This is because many of the experiences we’ve had, particularly those when young and those resulting from traumatic events, weren’t embedded in the logic part of our brain: they were encoded in deeper, more primitive, non-verbal areas in our brain where talk and logic don’t reach.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma-informed, non-verbal approach to Psychotherapy that uses the brain’s natural healing process to integrate past negative experiences – and associated negative beliefs about ourselves – with more recent positive ones. It reduces the intensity of negative past experiences and reinforces positive ones in a way similar to what happens during REM sleep.
EMDR was originally developed in the 1980s for acute trauma (PTSD & childhood sexual abuse). It has been heavily researched and has evolved over the past 4 decades and is now used to support a wide range of situations and conditions.
What to Expect
EMDR is a versatile modality that doesn’t have to replace talk therapy. It can be incorporated into your current therapy experience with me.
In fact, the early stages of an EMDR approach are pretty much the same as talk therapy… I get to know you and your situation, learn about your background and history, and understand how you think about yourself. This typically takes several sessions.
Strengthen Coping
If I think EMDR might help and you’re open to it, we would explore your coping mechanisms and prepare you to navigate emotional discomfort in a safe and manageable way. This could also take a few sessions.
Make a Plan
Next, we’d work together to identify the negative experiences, memories, and self beliefs that we’ll process through EMDR. THis includes identifying the positive self beliefs you want to replace them with.
Process
Once we’re properly prepared, we’d begin EMDR processing through eye movement. Each eye movement session is about 20 minutes. I’ll ask you to pay attention, with curiosity, to what comes up in the days after the session.
Integrate
During the hour in which we’re using EMDR, we’d start with a check-in from your previous (EMDR) session, agree on what we’re going to process with EMDR that day, and integrate the session’s experience.
EMDR processing is not a quick fix. It can take weeks, months, or years, depending on what we’re working on together.
Questions?
You may have already experienced EMDR or heard others’ stories about it. Challenges can arise if a therapist moves too quickly into eye movement work without proper preparation or by using the incorrect form of EMDR processing during a session.
For EMDR to work, treatments need to evoke emotions that can be uncomfortable. I always have your best interest at heart and will always err on the side of your safety and boundaries. You will always be in charge throughout the process.
I’m happy to address your questions. Don’t hesitate to ask!
Andrew Jobes
M.A. Counselling Psychology, Registered Psychotherapist