EMDR Therapy in Sarnia, ON
Sometimes in life, we face situations that are simply too frightening or painful for our brains to handle. These events can alter how we think and feel and have long-lasting effects on our overall well-being if we don’t find the support we need to heal from them.
These traumatic events can take many forms and will look different from person to person. But if an event, a relationship, or an ongoing situation from your past is affecting your current life in negative ways, you may be suffering from trauma.
EMDR is a therapy modality that focuses on helping a person overcome these past traumas and start moving forward with their lives. At Great Lakes Neurofeedback and Counselling, we offer EMDR therapy in Sarnia as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma and stress disorders to help you process these events and leave your trauma in the past.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR was originally developed to treat PTSD and other trauma-related conditions. It involves a structured approach that helps individuals process traumatic memories and reduce the associated distress.
During an EMDR session, your counsellor will guide you through a series of eye movements, taps, or other forms of physical stimulation while you recall your traumatic experience. This helps to engage the brain differently while thinking of these memories. This allows you to reprocess your trauma in a way that reduces its intensity and emotional impact.
EMDR therapy has been found to be effective in treating a range of conditions, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other trauma-related diagnoses. It is often used as one part of an overall treatment plan.
How Does EMDR Work?
Just as our bodies have the capacity to heal themselves from physical injury, our brains also have the ability to heal from emotional distress. However, some events or memories are too painful for our brains to process in their usual way. When this happens, we can use EMDR to open up new pathways for healing and help our brains process and heal from these traumatic events.
When you recall traumatic memories while your counsellor introduces sensations such as eye movements or taps, you experience bilateral stimulation. This means that both hemispheres of your brain are engaged in the recalling and remembering of the event. This forces your brain to process the memory in new ways and can help trigger the natural healing responses and reduce negative connections with the memory.
EMDR works with your brain and provides it the support it needs to do its job. Once the brain is able to process and recode these memories, the intense emotional reaction to them will fade. The memories can then be seen in the same way as any other past memory, no longer causing extreme responses.
