No Better Angels. Alcohol ink on paper. 2021.

The EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) defines Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy as "an extensively researched, evidence-based, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD from abuse/violence, anxiety, grief/loss, chronic pain, depression, and panic disorders". EMDR is a powerfully integrative form of trauma-healing therapy that relies on what the brain does best: metabolizing and processing events and experiences in ways that help us to naturally adapt, learn, and engage with ourselves and in the world.

The various regions of the brain are typically in-sync: they work together to manage stress, learn/analyze helpful information, and control our emotions and behaviors. Our brain is a truly incredible information processing system. However, even this amazing system can get "tripped" at times, when an event or experience is "too much or too fast" to handle (i.e. naturally processed by the various aspects of the brain) in the moment. This unfortunately makes for certain distressing memories (and all of the related emotions, images, thoughts, and body sensations) to remain "frozen in time", quite literally stuck in an isolated areas of the brain's neural network. As such, we often experience an unprocessed (traumatic) memory when we are being "triggered" by something in our present day, feeling "trapped" by traumas of our past, or being "frozen" with fear or "attacked" by panic about our future. EMDR is not a "magic pill" and it is not about desensitization to the pain of our memory in and of itself, but rather addressing (processing) all of distressing, unhelpful material into an adaptive, informative, and helpful resolution. It is not about forgetting or disowning aspects of our memories, our brain, or parts of ourselves, but allowing the natural healing and adaptive information processing system of the brain and nervous system to resume its beautiful work.

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 Using bilateral dual attention stimulation (BLS), (which can be eye movements, body tapping, or audio cues), the procedure of EMDR therapy looks like a brain-body free association; this is how we activate the brain's neural network and specific memories to be processed. Once activated, the brain already knows what to do; so we, like passengers on a train, will be noticing the scenery that comes up, making necessary stops to rest, and continuing along the ride as our brain does the work to connect us to more desirable destinations. We will find out together how your individual system responds -without forcing, judging, or censoring any specific result. As an EMDR-certified therapist, I provide this trauma-informed therapy, which includes resourcing our bodies with meditative and empowering activities; giving supported attention to distressing imagery, sensations, self-beliefs, and emotions; illuminating the adaptive self-beliefs that were otherwise hidden or lost; and ultimately embodying hope, resolve, and action in our present and future.

For additional trusted EMDR therapy information, visit EMDRIA.org.