EMDR Therapy in Colorado Springs: FAQ

Apr 21

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is the most powerful therapeutic approach I know to address issues related to anxiety, phobias, past trauma, current triggers, strong emotional reactions, feeling stuck... the list is endless! I've used it to treat a wide variety of issues with great and lasting success.

EMDR can be hard to wrap your brain around at first. It's different than traditional talk therapy, and can feel weird at the beginning. I always find it helps to have a little basic information to read through so that there's a general understanding of the process and how it works, and then I can explain more and answer questions when we talk.

A few resources published by EMDRIA, the EMDR International Association that I find helpful:

https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/

https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/experiencing-emdr-therapy/

https://www.emdria.org/blog/how-emdr-therapy-can-help/

Below are some of the most commonly asked questions I find most people have when they're considering EMDR therapy, or when I recommend it as a solution for a problem they're wanting to resolve...

How does EMDR work?

EMDR uses Bilateral Stimulation (BLS), movement that crosses the mid-line of the body like back and forth eye movements or tapping, to activate connections in the brain that process and resolve memories. Trauma memories often become "stuck" and left unprocessed because of the way very overwhelming experiences affect the brain at the time they happen. BLS activates the brain's innate ability to heal so that trauma memories get processed and stored in long term memory where they're experienced as neutral, as just something that happened in the past that doesn't have strong emotion connected to it any longer in the present.

What is the process to start EMDR?

The standard EMDR protocol involves 3 prongs - past, present, future - and 8 phases. We start by creating a timeline of significant events from the past, current triggers you're noticing in the present, and future concerns that you anticipate making it difficult to fully move forward; from this timeline, we'll create a plan for what to process based on which events seem most connected to present symptoms. We don't have to process everything from your entire life, we identify what I call "entry points" that give us access to memory networks needing resolution, and focus on your experiences that are are most connected to current struggles and goals. The first two phases involve sharing a history, building rapport, making a plan, and preparing for reprocessing so that there's a comfort level established before we dive into working through hard things in phases 3 through 7.

What if I don't know what to process?

Some people I work with have experienced a single event trauma like a car accident or traumatic loss, which makes it simple to know what to process... but many people I work with are seeking EMDR to resolve ongoing childhood experiences of trauma that they grew up with in their family. These clients often express feeling like they don't have specific memories, just a general sense of things that always happened and a realization that those things have had a lifelong impact. EMDR works just as well if you're unsure of specific memories to process, and I'll walk you step by step through a process of identifying where we start and what we have to work with.

What conditions can EMDR treat?

EMDR is most often thought of as a treatment for trauma, but I have found it to be helpful with anything that just feels "stuck." Some examples of issues I've successfully treated with EMDR that go beyond a single event or specific traumatic experience:

imposter syndrome
performance anxiety
domestic violence or abuse
narcissistic abuse
early childhood trauma
fear of abandonment or rejection
lack of confidence and insecurity
codependency and people pleasing
relationship stress, conflict, and trauma
medical trauma
parenting issues
pregnancy loss or infertility
high anxiety & phobias
religious trauma
sexual trauma

Is EMDR safe?

Sometimes people worry that EMDR is hypnosis, or that they won't be in control during the process. I believe that one of the most important factors in healing from trauma or distressing life events is feeling in control of the process because one aspect of trauma is that you felt out of control in the moment. EMDR is not hypnosis, you remain 100% aware and in control through the process; in fact, EMDR emphasizes reconnecting to a sense of having choices that put you in control of moving forward. We follow where your mind leads us, and you can interrupt the process or stop it at any time. EMDR is designed to minimize the distress associated with trauma processing by limiting how much time you're "in" a trauma memory, which also serves to increase a sense of safety in the process.

How long does EMDR take?

EMDR is an efficient way to resolve trauma and distress. How long it takes varies depending on the complexity of the issue you're wanting to resolve, but because it is so structured we have a plan and a timeline up front before we start that gives you a good idea of what to expect. In general, a single event trauma may take only 3-6 sessions to resolve, and more complex trauma can take months. One way we can accelerate the process is by meeting for longer reprocessing sessions or a short term EMDR intensive, both approaches that can minimize the distress of trauma processing as we're able to work through entire memories in a single session.

Will I have to relive my trauma in detail?

Trauma processing is always hard, but I find EMDR to be a gentle approach. It is not a talk therapy so you don't spend large portions of time processing verbally, you are focused on a memory or event for just 45-60 seconds at a time in your own mind before taking a pause and sharing what you're noticing with me. You can share as much or as little as you choose in those pauses - I don't need all of the details for the process to work.

Can EMDR bring up intense emotions or memories?

Full disclosure - yes. Processing trauma or difficult experiences is a hard and emotional process. However, EMDR is structured to keep intense emotions and memories within a "window of tolerance" where you have the level of emotional activation needed to access the material in need of processing, but not so much activation that you ever feel the emotion is intolerable. We prepare you with skills and resources to keep you within this window before we ever start reprocessing, which means you don't go outside of it feeling overwhelmed or out of control. EMDR can feel uncomfortable at first, but it shouldn't ever feel like you're stuck in relieving the past.

What should I expect in my first EMDR session?

Because the first 2 phases of the 8 phase EMDR protocol focus on preparation, there's a gentle start to the process. In your first session we'll talk through your history and start identifying a plan for what to process. In your second and third sessions we'll further refine that plan, identify positive resources we can use in the process, and prepare to manage any discomfort that may come up during reprocessing. These initial steps set up the reprocessing phases of EMDR to go more smoothly and feel less overwhelming. By the time we have our first reprocessing session, you can expect to feel some relief of current symptoms and a readiness to start the process of working through past trauma.

What if I have more questions?

Please reach out to me for a free consultation about starting EMDR or scheduling an EMDR Intensive! It's normal to have a lot of questions about the process, and even some apprehension. EMDR is a commitment to a process that can be hard, but that time and time again I see is so worth it for the healing it can provide so you can move forward living your life free from what has been holding you back.

Celia Sugg