EMDR Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an effective treatment proven to help people recover from trauma and other mental health concerns like anxiety, anger, phobias, pain, depression, addictions, and other issues. When left unmanaged, unresolved traumas and experiences can leave you feeling stuck and feeling you are not in control of your emotional reactions . EMDR helps individuals heal from the symptoms and emotional distress of disturbing life experiences and unprocessed trauma, such as loss, abuse, neglect..etc. Often the memories themselves are long forgotten but the painful feelings such as anxiety, anger, despair are continually triggered in the present. EMDR is developed to help you take back control over your life and behavior.

If you or a loved one are dealing with the effects of trauma or distressing life events, you do not have to face this challenging time alone. The mental health professionals at ClearMinds Center for Emotional Health are here to help.

How does EMDR Work?

EMDR is not like typical talk therapy, as it does not require talking in detail about your distressing experiences or issues. During an EMDR therapy session, your body's natural healing ability is utilized. The mind can often heal itself, in the same way the body can heal itself. Research shows that a great deal of this natural coping happens during sleep, specifically during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. As such, in EMDR therapy sessions your brain is helped to process traumatic or triggering experiences in brief doses while the therapist directs you to eye movements similar to those in REM sleep by asking you to watch their finger moving backward and forward across your visual field while thinking about a particular memory. This allows you to be exposed to traumatic memories or thoughts without having a strong psychological response. After multiple sessions, EMDR is seen to lessen the impact that the memories or thoughts have on you.

Following a successful EMDR session, you'll still remember what happened, but you will not feel overwhelmed when recalling the painful memories of the incident. This allows you to access positive ways of viewing the original trauma (reprocessing) and to release the stored negative emotional reactions around it (desensitization). Other associated memories may also heal at the same time. This linking of related memories can lead to a dramatic and rapid improvement in many aspects of your life. EMDR is a powerful method for helping a person obtain a feeling of control and empowerment over themselves and their lives.

The EMDR Process

EMDR is typically broken down into five different phases, which take part over multiple therapy sessions.

1. History and treatment planning: Before you begin your EMDR therapy, your therapist will get to know you, review your personal history. During the evaluation phase, you will be asked to briefly discuss your trauma, identifying specific traumatic memories that may be important to treat.
2. Assessment: You and your therapist will identify the specific memories that will be targeted.
3. Preparation: Your therapist will help you learn emotion management techniques and solutions to help cope with the psychological or emotional stress you're experiencing. You will be supported in building your safety net and support network in your life.
4. EMDR Treatment: Depending on the severity of your trauma, your treatments will take several sessions using EMDR therapy techniques to treat your targeted memories. During these sessions, you'll be asked to focus on a negative memory, thought, or image. Your therapist will simultaneously have you complete specific eye movements. Depending on your specific plan, this bilateral stimulation may also include taps or other movements. After the bilateral stimulation, your therapist will ask you to notice the spontaneous emotions, feelings, and thoughts you're having. If at any time you become distressed, your therapist will help bring you back to the present before moving on. As your sessions progress, the distress you experience should start to fade.
5. Evaluation: Throughout the course of your treatment, you'll be asked to evaluate your progress in these sessions. Your therapist will do the same.

What Can EMDR Treat?

Although EMDR was originally developed for the treatment of trauma, is has also proven effective in the treatment of:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Addiction
• Pain Disorders
• Panic Attacks
• Painful or Disturbing Memories
• Physical, Sexual, or Emotional Abuse
• Grief and Loss
• Flashbacks & Nightmares
• Low self esteem and self worth

EMDR can be brief focused treatment or part of a longer psychotherapy treatment plan. EMDR can be easily integrated with other approaches.

ClearMinds EMDR Therapy for Trauma Treatment

At ClearMinds, our EMDR therapists are not only knowledgeable in their field of expertise, but they are also passionate and sincere in helping their clients on their path toward progress and mental health. Each of our therapists are highly skilled and personable clinicians who truly care about their client's wellbeing. We are passionate about helping you process your unresolved trauma so that you can live a happy and fulfilling life.

If you or a loved one could benefit from EMDR therapy, we are here to help. Contact a member of our team at +971-4-557-6220 to schedule an appointment. You can also email us at info@clearmindscenter.com or drop us a line through our online contact form.

We look forward to hearing from you.