The Soulwork Center is pleased to announce the addition of Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as a treatment modality.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a method of
psychotherapy that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of
trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many
different treatment approaches. To date, EMDR has helped an estimated two million people
of all ages relieve many types of psychological stress. EMDR has also been found useful in
the relief of anxiety and in helping individuals develop clarity about goals for therapy.
How does EMDR work?
No one knows how any form of psychotherapy works neurobiologically or in the brain.
However, we do know that when a person is very upset, their brain cannot process
information as it does ordinarily. One moment becomes "frozen in time," and remembering a
trauma may feel as bad as going through it the first time because the images, sounds, smells,
and feelings haven’t changed. Such memories have a lasting negative effect that interferes
with the way a person sees the world and the way they relate to other people.
EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information.
Normal information processing is resumed, so following a successful EMDR session, a
person no longer relives the images, sounds, and feelings when the event is brought to mind.
You still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting. Many types of therapy have
similar goals. However, EMDR appears to be similar to what occurs naturally during
dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Therefore, EMDR can be thought of as a
physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing material in a new and less
distressing way.
How do I use EMDR?
Scientific research has established EMDR as effective for post traumatic stress. However,
clinicians also have reported success using EMDR in treatment of the following conditions:
panic attacks
complicated grief
disturbing memories
phobias
eating disorders
performance anxiety
stress reduction
addictions
sexual and/or physical abuse
body dysmorphic disorders
In my practice, through intensive history-taking and discussion of treatment options, the client
and I work to discern whether working on any of these conditions might be among the goals
of therapy. The standardized EMDR treatment protocol may then be used to facilitate the
achievement of therapy goals. I also find EMDR to be very useful in dreamwork by freeing
the analysand to generate associations and integrate the meaning of dream symbols. Thus,
EMDR can be a skillful means of deepening traditional Jungian psychoanalysis.
Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (EMDR)
