“One of these mornings you’re gonna rise up singing. You’re gonna spread your wings, child, and take to the sky.”
-Janis Joplin
EMDR
What is EMDR and how does it work?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapeutic technique which pairs specific body movements and bilateral stimulation with upsetting, stressful, and anxiety provoking thoughts and memories. By doing this, the brain is able to work through these issues and feel less distress when they come up.
Most often, EMDR is used to heal trauma, but its can also be applied to phobias, anxiety, performance enhancement, and may other concerns.
Here’s what’s cool about EMDR
EMDR works better and faster than talk therapy
You don’t have to talk about the details of your trauma. EMDR is largely nonverbal.
EMDR can be done in regularly scheduled hour long sessions, or it can be adapted to fit your needs and goals through EMDR intensives.
EMDR can be incorporated into Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Psychedelic Integration.
EMDR isn’t just for trauma. It can also be used for
Performance Enhancement
Breaking old habits and creating new ones
Addiction
People Pleasing
Money Blocks
Self Sabotage
Anger Management
Is trauma from the past showing up in your life today?
Trauma has a lasting impact on our brains, bodies, and psyches. Whether it is something we are aware of or something that remains in the subconscious, experiences from the past dictate what we believe about ourselves and the world around us. These beliefs influence our thoughts, feelings, relationships, habits, and choices more than we could possibly be aware of.
Maybe you know the exact moment when things changed for you, and maybe you’d like to let it go and move on with your life. Or maybe it’s just a felt sense unworthiness or unease that you just can’t shake. Maybe you simply feel irritable, exhausted, and not like yourself all the time.
EMDR can restore you to most whole version of yourself.
There’s more than one kind of Trauma
When most people hear “trauma,” they think of a singular, catastrophic event, but the truth is, trauma has many forms and looks different in each person.
Big T Trauma and little t trauma Big Ts are those one-off events that really mess us up - the car accident, the bombing, the assault. Little ts are smaller events that build up over time. Little ts could be bullying, microaggressions, repeated criticism in childhood. A lot of the time, the little ts can be more rooted and damaging than the Big Ts. They can be harder to deal with because you might not quite be able to put your finger on why you feel this way, you just know that you do.
One of the most common and little talked about types of trauma is Chronic Stress. This is the trauma that occurs when it’s just too much (or to little) for too long. We all have the ability to manage some stress in our lives, but when the stress crosses a certain threshold, it can destroy us. Stress damages the nerves and the brain to the point where we can’t feel good, can’t think creatively, and feel raw and irritable all the time.
Do you ever wonder why uncanny themes and patterns show up in you and other members of your family. It could be Generational Trauma. Through parenting, family attitudes, and epigenetics trauma can be inherited from our ancestors.
There are many, many other forms of trauma including Racial, Attachment, Interpersonal, Ambiguous Loss, and Vicarious Trauma. These are all important and nuanced issues.
Healing Trauma
So what does Trauma Therapy look like? There are many ways to work through trauma. My favorites are EMDR and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy. In both these modalities, we will discuss your goals and what is standing in your way. We’ll get a good understanding of themes related to the trauma you have experienced and memories associated with them. Then we’ll get into the work of processing, desensitizing, and healing these pain points. Both these modalities promote changes in the brain. These changes allow us to learn new skills and ways of thinking. They disrupt old patterns that aren’t serving us anymore and replace them with new healthier ones.
EMDR Intensives in Denver
EMDR can be done in weekly session, or it can be used via intensives. Intensives can be scheduled for half day or full day. EMDR can also be scheduled at a 1 hour appointment multiple days in a row. There are many considerations and benefits to EMDR Intensives that should be discussed between you and your therapist. Some benefits of EMDR Intensives are increased effectiveness and efficiency, faster results with less distress between sessions, more efficient and targeted treatment.
