EMDR
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and it sounds like the biggest bunch of voodoo magic ever. But keep an open mind because multiple studies have shown that it works and that its effects last. It is currently the recommended treatment for soldiers returning from the Middle East and the American Psychological Association considers it the best treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But because trauma doesn't have to be anything as dramatic as war (if you get teased on the playground, you experience trauma too), EMDR has benefits for any kind of anxiety issue as well as many other problems.
Basically, the client (that would be you) thinks about a traumatic experience while the therapist (aka, me) moves her fingers back and forth across the midline of the face. I know, I know, sounds ridiculous. It's not hypnosis and I can't make you cluck like a chicken. What the process does is stimulate both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously. It turns out that we can also get the same result with any bilateral stimulation such as tones in your ears or tapping on your hands. In fact, I generally use tapping or a device with pads that vibrate in your hands more often than the eye movements. I find that it is easier for people to focus when their eyes are closed (plus they don't look at me so much to see if they're "doing it right"!). Regardless of which process I use, it also stimulates the front brain (rational, present-focused part) and the back brain (primitive, fight-or-flight response part) at the same time. This seems to allow accelerated processing of traumatic experiences. Based on the most recent research, the reason this occurs is that the back-and-forth process speeds the growth of new neural networks in addition to creating a link between a negative experience and a relaxed body state that allows clients to essentially relearn the lessons they learned from traumatic experiences. Additionally, recent studies have shown that EMDR's effects last long after treatment has ended, compared to treatment with medication, in which the benefits often end after medication is stopped.
Recently, new research by Dr. Laurel Parnell has shown that EMDR can be used to increase or install positive resources as well. When we imagine doing something, it activates the same part of our brains as actually doing that thing. For instance, if you imagine yourself as a child being hugged and praised, the part of your brain that responds to that kind of experience would light up. When this is combined with EMDR, it seems to allow the brain to make the connections that would have been made had one's needs been met at the time. It doesn't make one forget the actual experience, but it does allow the way one feels to change. Dr. Parnell's method is called Attachment-Focused EMDR and it is different from "traditional" EMDR so don't panic if you read things online that say it must be done in a particular way that doesn't match what I do.
I have recently completed additional training on Flash EMDR, which works best on traumas to which you have a significant physical reaction. It involves memory reconsolidation processes that help "rewrite" a relaxed physical response into a traumatic experience.
If you would like to learn more about EMDR, of course feel free to ask me, but you can also visit the EMDR Institute's website at http://www.emdr.com or Laurel Parnell's website at http://parnellemdr.com/emdr-and-af-emdr/. More information about Flash EMDR can be found at http://www.flashtechnique.com/.
Basically, the client (that would be you) thinks about a traumatic experience while the therapist (aka, me) moves her fingers back and forth across the midline of the face. I know, I know, sounds ridiculous. It's not hypnosis and I can't make you cluck like a chicken. What the process does is stimulate both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously. It turns out that we can also get the same result with any bilateral stimulation such as tones in your ears or tapping on your hands. In fact, I generally use tapping or a device with pads that vibrate in your hands more often than the eye movements. I find that it is easier for people to focus when their eyes are closed (plus they don't look at me so much to see if they're "doing it right"!). Regardless of which process I use, it also stimulates the front brain (rational, present-focused part) and the back brain (primitive, fight-or-flight response part) at the same time. This seems to allow accelerated processing of traumatic experiences. Based on the most recent research, the reason this occurs is that the back-and-forth process speeds the growth of new neural networks in addition to creating a link between a negative experience and a relaxed body state that allows clients to essentially relearn the lessons they learned from traumatic experiences. Additionally, recent studies have shown that EMDR's effects last long after treatment has ended, compared to treatment with medication, in which the benefits often end after medication is stopped.
Recently, new research by Dr. Laurel Parnell has shown that EMDR can be used to increase or install positive resources as well. When we imagine doing something, it activates the same part of our brains as actually doing that thing. For instance, if you imagine yourself as a child being hugged and praised, the part of your brain that responds to that kind of experience would light up. When this is combined with EMDR, it seems to allow the brain to make the connections that would have been made had one's needs been met at the time. It doesn't make one forget the actual experience, but it does allow the way one feels to change. Dr. Parnell's method is called Attachment-Focused EMDR and it is different from "traditional" EMDR so don't panic if you read things online that say it must be done in a particular way that doesn't match what I do.
I have recently completed additional training on Flash EMDR, which works best on traumas to which you have a significant physical reaction. It involves memory reconsolidation processes that help "rewrite" a relaxed physical response into a traumatic experience.
If you would like to learn more about EMDR, of course feel free to ask me, but you can also visit the EMDR Institute's website at http://www.emdr.com or Laurel Parnell's website at http://parnellemdr.com/emdr-and-af-emdr/. More information about Flash EMDR can be found at http://www.flashtechnique.com/.