kimberly shapps, JD LCSW
psychotherapist
divorce, trauma, relationships
EMDR THERAPY
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a proven, evidence based therapy aimed at helping people to recover from traumatic events. After any traumatic experience, the images, thoughts and emotions can remain with us. Our brains often struggle to process and make sense of difficult experiences, leaving certain memories feeling 'stuck'. Everyday triggers can bring these feelings rushing back, creating a feeling of 'overwhelm' or leaving us feeling as if we are back in the traumatic moment, frozen in time.
EMDR Therapy helps to process these traumatic memories using gentle eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation, including tactile buzzers or tapping. This allows the brain to more easily process and integrate challenging memories in a less distressing way. While the
memory itself will still remain, EMDR can help to remove the intense emotional charge associated with it, leaving you with more control over those memories.
Trauma refers to not just the event itself, but also the meaning we make of it. EMDR can help to reduce not only the emotional intensity of the memory, but also the associated negative thoughts and beliefs we may hold about ourselves and the world at large.
EMDR can be used as a stand alone therapy or as an adjunct to talk therapy. If you would like to integrate EMDR work into your existing therapy, I would be glad to coordinate care with your existing therapist to ensure a holistic treatment approach.
