How does EMDR help?
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing is an AMAZING therapeutic tool to move stuckness. Typically EMDR is used to treat trauma symptoms, and the definition of trauma (in the world of EMDR) is anything that is not fully integrated. So EMDR can be used to treat any symptoms that are distressing! I have used EMDR for folks with a fear of public speaking and social anxiety symptoms, certain phobias, sleeping issues, low self-esteem, addictive behaviors, panic attacks, you name it. It is truly flexible in the areas it is needed!
The treatment modality of EMDR is truly flexible because we tap into the adaptive brain processing and your innate ability to heal yourself through bilateral stimulation of the brain. Have you ever noticed that you can think better when you are walking? Same thing, the bilateral motion takes us into deeper areas of our brains.
A key component of deep change achievable with EMDR is its ability to change CORE BELIEFS.
Yes, core beliefs are key players in driving our behavior.
We can try all day to change our behaviors but without addressing the key beliefs underlying them, little is achieved. Through the process of EMDR, we, you, and I together (it is a collaborative process) can change deep-rooted core beliefs that keep us stuck. Examples, of the beliefs, could be, “I don’t matter.” “Something is wrong with me.” “I’m unlovable.” “I’m defective.” Yes, this very sensitive material that we picked up along the way to adulthood. As the clients, you choose what you would like to believe instead- for example instead of holding a core belief that “something is wrong with me” a person may choose a belief like, “I’m okay the way I am.”
The brain has a filing system and we look for similar information the categorize things quickly. Throughout life, we may look for information to validate the old beliefs, so and so broke up with me, that goes into the filing cabinet under “Something is wrong with me.” In therapy, we pinpoint the major neural networks and webs holding these untrue beliefs. We begin refiling old damaging beliefs into different categories that are more aligned to bring you what you truly desire out of life. For instance, instead of carrying the belief that you are responsible for the abuse that happened to you, we rework the experience and integrate a new healthier belief, “I was just a child” or “It wasn’t my fault.”
The effects of EMDR are truly remarkable. The process can be challenging because we have through old wounding in present time but on the other side of doing the work, there can be emotional lightness, confidence, renewal, and an embodied sense of internal shift.
Therapy is not for the faint of heart. It is work and it can be extremely scary and hard. Trust me, it is worth it! Stop the patterns now instead of twenty years from now and we (you and I) will have a better chance of cultivating positive changes and outcomes that bring joy and fulfillment into your life!