Have you had trauma or have developed a mental health disorder? According to Harvard Medical School, half of the people around the world will get one by the time they turn 75, so you’re not alone. Are you looking for treatment? There’s one option that you might not have heard of — eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). It’s a way to help people heal from trauma or a particular life experience that was distressing. Here’s more about what is and what it can do.
What It Treats
Usually, people come for EMDR therapy to work on their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The therapist will use a side-to-side visual stimulus to guide them through it. The goal is to change the emotion that a certain memory elicits and help the patient’s brain get back to its normal healing pattern.
How Much Talking There Is
Usually, when it comes to working on one’s trauma, there’s some talking involved. EMDR therapy, on the other hand, is more about feeling the emotions that flow through when it comes to a particular memory that can cause PTSD and then changing the response to that emotion. This can mean that a session can be conducted in silence or near silence.
How Efficient It Is
There have been a sizable number of clinical trials that use EMDR, and it’s been found that it’s a lot more effective than other methods. That might be because emotions are faced head-on rather than through talking which can get faster results.
Having PTSD can be a difficult experience for the people who have it. It can feel like the emotion is overwhelming at times. Plus, people may feel that talking about it is useless and leads to them not seeking the help they need. EMDR can change that, and it can change it fast, especially with the help of someone well-trained and experienced.
If PTSD has led you to a dark place, using EMDR can shine the light you need. Do you live in Arizona and need to see someone about EMDR therapy? We can do that along with other types of therapy, such as couples therapy and even equine-assisted therapy. Contact us at Tucson Outpatient Psychiatry today to make an appointment.
