EMDR Therapy in Columbus, Ohio or Cincinnati, Ohio
About Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (EMDR)
Are you looking for EMDR Therapy in Columbus or Cincinnati Ohio? This article will give you more information on what EMDR is, what it can help with, who it works for, how it is different from other types of therapy, how it affects the brain, the types of training an EMDR therapist needs, where to find recent research and how to get EMDR therapy in Columbus, Ohio or Cincinnati, Ohio
What is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a psychotherapy modality that was developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1987. EMDR is primarily used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although it has also been found to be effective for other mental health conditions such as anxiety, phobias, mood disorders, and panic disorder.
EMDR can help with PTSD and trauma related issues from things such as emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, trauma from working in the military or as a first responder, being exposed to natural disasters, gang violence or war.
EMDR helps by reprocessing traumatic memories. The process helps to desensitize the memories, and make them less emotionally charged. This, in turn, makes them easier to process and integrate into the person’s memory.
Types of EMDR
There are different types of EMDR that our Columbus and Cincinnati therapists practice. These are traditional EMDR, Attachment Focused EMDR and Flash EMDR.
Traditional EMDR
Traditional EMDR is a structured psychotherapy approach that is different from talk therapy. It involves the bilateral stimulation (both sides of the body) of eye movements, or tactile stimulation such as tappers The individual focuses on a distressing memory while the therapist controls the bilateral stimulation.
Throughout the session, the therapist will provide support, guidance, and feedback. It’s important to note that EMDR can bring up intense emotions and feelings, but the therapist will help you navigate these experiences and provide strategies for stress management and distress tolerance outside of sessions.
This counseling process typically involves several phases to address mental health issues. Here’s a general overview of what you might expect during an EMDR counseling session:
Assessment:
In the initial sessions with new clients, the therapist will gather information about personal history, current concerns, and help identify specific traumatic memories or distressing experiences to target during the EMDR process. They will also assess a new clients readiness and suitability for EMDR therapy.
Preparation:
The therapist will help you develop coping skills and relaxation techniques that you can use during the EMDR process. This is important to ensure that you feel emotionally safe and capable of managing any distress that may arise.
Target Identification:
Together with your therapist, you will select a specific memory or distressing experience to work on during the EMDR session. This can be a past traumatic event or a current issue causing distress.
Desensitization:
The desensitization phase involves recalling the targeted memory while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation. This can be done through eye movements, tapping, or auditory stimulation. The therapist will guide you through the process, helping you maintain focus on the memory and the bilateral stimulation.
Reprocessing:
As the desensitization phase progresses, the therapist will encourage you to notice any new thoughts, insights, or associations that arise. The goal is to facilitate the reprocessing of the memory and integrate new, more adaptive beliefs and perspectives.
Installation:
In this phase, positive beliefs or self-statements are reinforced to replace the negative or distressing beliefs associated with the targeted memory. The therapist will guide you in strengthening positive cognitions and emotions.
Body Scan and Closure:
After the reprocessing, the therapist will assist you in grounding yourself in the present moment and ensuring that any residual distress has been resolved. This often includes a body scan exercise to check for any remaining physical tension or discomfort.
Reevaluation:
In subsequent sessions, the therapist will review the progress made and assess if there are any other related memories or issues that need to be targeted. The process is repeated as necessary until the targeted memories no longer trigger significant distress.
Attachment Focused EMDR
Attachment-Focused EMDR is an integration of EMDR therapy with attachment theory and principles created by Dr. Laurel Parnell. It is a holistic approach to individual therapy that combines the benefits of both EMDR and attachment-focused approaches to address the impact of early attachment experiences and promote healing and growth.
Attachment theory, originally proposed by psychologist John Bowlby, emphasizes the importance of early relationships and attachments in our lives in shaping our sense of security, self-worth, and interpersonal patterns. It suggests that disruptions or adverse experiences in attachment relationships can contribute to emotional and relational difficulties later in life.
In Attachment-Focused EMDR, the therapist incorporates a focus on attachment-related themes, dynamics, and experiences during the EMDR process. This approach recognizes the influence of attachment patterns and seeks to address and heal attachment-related wounds, traumas, relationship issues, conflicts, or disruptions.
Here are some key features of Attachment-Focused EMDR:
Attachment Assessment:
The therapist will explore your attachment history and relationships to gain a deeper understanding of how attachment experiences may have shaped your current challenges and symptoms.
Exploration of Attachment Themes:
Attachment-Focused EMDR specifically targets attachment-related memories, beliefs, and emotions. The therapist may guide you to identify and process distressing memories or beliefs associated with attachment experiences.
Relationship with the Therapist:
Given the importance of the therapeutic relationship in attachment-focused work, the therapist will strive to create a secure and trusting bond with you. They will provide support, attunement, and validation to promote a sense of safety and security during the EMDR process.
Resourcing and Attachment Repair:
The therapist will work with you to develop internal resources and strengthen positive attachment experiences within the therapeutic relationship. This can involve fostering a secure, corrective emotional experience, cultivating self-soothing techniques, and building a sense of self-worth and resilience.
Integration of Attachment Concepts:
Attachment-Focused EMDR incorporates attachment-related concepts, such as internal working models, secure base, and caregiver presence. These concepts are utilized to help reprocess and integrate attachment-related memories and beliefs in a more adaptive and healing manner.
Relational Aspects:
The therapist may pay particular attention to the impact of attachment patterns on your current relationships, both past and present. This can include exploring how early attachment experiences influence patterns of relating, attachment needs, and emotional regulation in your interactions with others.
Attachment-Focused EMDR can be beneficial for individuals who have experienced early attachment disruptions, traumas, or difficulties that are contributing to their current challenges. By integrating EMDR techniques with attachment principles, this approach aims to promote healing, strengthen attachment resources, and enhance interpersonal well-being.
Flash EMDR
Flash EMDR, also known as EMDR Flash or the Flash Technique, is a variation of EMDR that focuses on rapidly desensitizing distressing memories or negative emotions. It is a brief and condensed version of EMDR designed to provide quick relief from distress.
In Flash EMDR, instead of the standard protocol involving multiple phases, the emphasis is primarily on desensitization. The technique involves using the client’s imagination to create a positive or neutral image that is vivid and engaging. The therapist then guides the client to briefly hold the distressing memory or negative emotion in mind while simultaneously introducing the positive or neutral image. This pairing of the distressing memory with a positive or neutral image is intended to facilitate the reprocessing and desensitization of the negative emotions associated with the distressing memory.
The process typically involves the following steps:
Preparation:
The therapist establishes a supportive and safe environment for the client, ensuring that they have adequate coping skills and resources to manage any distress that may arise during the session.
Identifying the Distressing Memory:
The client selects a specific distressing memory or negative emotion that they want to target during the session.
Creating a Positive or Neutral Image:
The therapist guides the client to create a vivid and positive or neutral image that is pleasant or calming to them. This image serves as a resource or anchor to counteract the distressing memory or emotion.
Pairing the Images:
The client briefly holds the distressing memory or negative emotion in mind while simultaneously introducing the positive or neutral image. The images are mentally juxtaposed or “flashed” together for a brief period, usually a few seconds.
Reevaluation:
After the pairing of images, the therapist checks with the client to assess any changes in the intensity of the distress associated with the initial memory or emotion. This allows for reevaluation and potential reprocessing of the memory if necessary.
Flash EMDR is considered an accelerated technique because it aims to achieve desensitization and relief in a shorter time frame compared to traditional EMDR. It can be particularly useful for individuals who are seeking a more time-efficient therapeutic approach or for situations where longer sessions are not feasible. However, it’s important to note that Flash EMDR may not be suitable for everyone or all types of distressing memories, and individual responses can vary.
It’s recommended to work with a trained EMDR therapist who can assess your specific needs and determine the most appropriate treatment approach for you, whether it’s Flash EMDR or the standard EMDR protocol.
What can EMDR Help with?
EMDR therapy can help with a variety of problems, including:
– PTSD and trauma
– Anxiety
– Depression
– Stress
– Relationship issues
– Eating disorders
– Self esteem
– Personality disorders
– Panic Attacks
– Addictions such as sex addiction
– Phobias such as fear of flying or public speaking
– Physical pain that is associated with emotional or psychological trauma
Our qualified therapists can help you to understand if EMDR is appropriate for your diagnosis or your life situation. We have therapists in Columbus, Cincinnati and the state of Ohio that can help you determine if EMDR is right for you.
Who Can EMDR Help?
Almost anyone. EMDR therapy has been used to help people of all ages, races, sexes and backgrounds who are struggling with traumatic experiences or mental health. It can be used to treat the effects of sexual abuse, rape, domestic violence, car accidents, military combat and many other types of traumatic situations and mental health issues.
How is EMDR therapy different than other therapies?
EMDR is different than other therapies in the sense that it facilitates the integration of information. The therapist will help the client to produce a coherent narrative of past experiences that includes imagery, emotions, cognitions, and sensations. The therapist will guide the client into processing their traumatic memories by using bilateral sensory stimulation to allow for information reprocessing. Bilateral stimulation can be sound, visual, or something that is physically felt. At Columbus Therapy and Hypnosis we use a variety of bilateral sensory stimulation techniques. For online sessions, we use a light bar program. In-person we use a light bar or electronic tappers. The tappers feel like you are holding a video game controller when it buzzes.
How does EMDR therapy affect the brain?
EMDR therapy is thought to help by reprocessing traumatic memories. The eye movements or other bilateral stimulation helps to desensitize the memories and make them less emotionally charged. This, in turn, makes them easier to process and integrate into the person’s memory.
There is some evidence that suggests that EMDR may also cause changes in brain activity. One study found that after EMDR therapy, there was an increase in activity in the left hemisphere of the brain, which is associated with positive emotions. Another study found that after EMDR therapy, there was an increase in activity in the hippocampus, which is involved in memory formation.
Does my EMDR therapist need to be trained?
According to the EMDRIA website, EMDR therapy should only be done by trained EMDR therapists as it is considered a medical procedure. This training is only offered to licensed clinicians and should not be done by people who are not duly licensed and trained. This includes not using EMDR applications.
What is it like to get EMDR therapy?
It can be helpful to have some idea of what to expect before you start EMDR therapy. Generally, the first session will involve an assessment of your symptoms, personal goals, and history. The therapist will also ask you some questions about the traumatic event or events that you would like to work on.
The next sessions will involve focusing on the particular event or events you would like to work on while receiving bilateral stimulation. It is up to you how much you want to talk about each memory, and how much you wish to keep to yourself. It is not necessary to discuss the memory with the therapist for EMDR therapy to help you. If thinking about memory is particularly difficult, you might also be asked to picture the memories as if they are scenes from a movie or TV show. This helps to provide some distance between you and the memory and makes it feel less difficult to process.
Recent EMDR Research
The best place to find recent EMDR research is on the EMDRIA website. This website is dedicated to promoting and disseminating information about EMDR therapy. It includes articles, studies, and other resources about EMDR therapy.
What Therapies can EMDR Integrate With?
EMDR therapy can integrate with a variety of therapies. Some of these therapies include dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), emotionally focused therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and narrative therapy. It can be integrated with individual, family, and couple therapy techniques. In order to integrate EMDR with another therapy, the therapist should be trained in both therapies. This training helps them to understand each type of therapy and how to best merge the models. It also helps the therapist or counselor understand when to use EMDR vs. traditional therapy during treatment.
EMDR Therapy in Columbus, Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio
If you would like more information about eye movement reprocessing and desensitization (EMDR), please contact Columbus Therapy & Hypnosis at 614-245-5119, or contact us via the website. We offer individual, couple, and family therapy sessions in our office conveniently located in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus Therapy & Hypnosis is a private therapy practice with clinicians trained in EMDR. The owner, Yvonne Judge is a member of the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). You can see her profile on EMDRIA here. Appointments are available days, evenings, and weekends for your convenience. Both in-person and telehealth appointments are available.
Integrated EMDR Therapy in Columbus, Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio
We use not only EMDR therapy, but several other methods as well, and our therapists are able to integrate EMDR into individual, family, and couple treatment as needed. If you would like to know more about how EMDR or other therapy can help you, we offer free phone consultations. During these consultations, we can discuss what you need and how we work. The goal is to help you determine what type of therapy is right for you and if one of our therapists is a good fit for your needs and personality. Don’t suffer alone. Call now and get the help you need to live your best life. EMDR therapy Ohio? Call now!
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