You’re sitting in an online therapy session with your therapist who is in her home due to the COVID19 pandemic. You have headphones in and you are listening to tones going back and forth between your right and left ears. Left ear. Right ear. Left ear. Right ear. Your eyes are darting back and forth, following the light blue ball on the screen. You start to notice that the upsetting image in your mind starts to fade and you notice you are no longer feeling quite as anxious or upset. Your EMDR therapist is holding space for you while your brain engages in healing itself.

Sounds a bit strange, right? It can look strange too, but EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is an evidence-based trauma treatment that works for many people. And I love it.

No trauma treatment works for every person who tries it, but I’ve really enjoyed introducing clients to EMDR as I feel it is a gentle, body-based/somatic modality that allows the human brain to heal itself. Our bodies are so wise and when given the right space and therapeutic relationship, our bodies can also heal from trauma and adverse experiences.

This is why I love EMDR:

• You don’t need to share details about the traumatic experience
• Clients often come away with new realizations and understandings of past experiences
• It’s empowering to feel your brain healing itself
• You leave session with tons of tools and skills to use in between sessions
• Trauma that is stored in the body can be released
• It’s not one-size-fits-all, EMDR can be customized to work for you
• Many feel its more gentle than CBT/Exposure Therapy

***EMDR may not be clinically appropriate for every client. Please talk to your provider about risks and benefits. Interested in trying EMDR with me? I offer in-person EMDR in Connecticut (CT) and Telehealth EMDR in Florida (FL). Contact me to learn more!