“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives.” ― Bessel A. Van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
The reality of hard things happening in the world is, it only takes one event to traumatize an individual, but symptoms of trauma or PTSD can be delayed or even later triggered by other life events. We call this a parallel process in therapy lingo, a current trigger hits the wound of an old trauma that can cause nervous system overload known as Fight or Flight. And just like that hypervigilance, insomnia and flashbacks hit or you experience irritability, depression, fatigue, and severe nightmares. Symptoms of trauma can appear uniquely from individual to individual. So here is where EMDR jumps in to help reprocess and establish a sense of equilibrium in the brain and body.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, developed by Francine Shapiro in 1987 to help people process traumatic memories. In the last 30 years, EMDR Therapy advanced from a protocol solely for PTSD and trauma to a modality used to treat almost all mental health conditions.
I have used EMDR Therapy to treat a variety of issues in my practice, ranging from survivors of traumatic events, first responders, sexual assault survivors, childhood abuse, developmental trauma, eating disorders, panic disorder, dissociation, reduction of urges, and depression just to name a few. EMDR Therapy can also be brief, yet highly effective and transformative. Depending on the distressing event, some clients can feel dramatic relief in a few short sessions, others may require long term therapy.
After successful reprocessing a client’s distressing events, individuals report better sleep, reduction in nightmares, reduction of flashbacks, decrease in panic attacks and increased mood. It’s a wonderful process to witness client’s heal from painful life events through EMDR Therapy. To read more about EMDR visit emdria.org or contact me
Please reach out you if are interested in learning more about EMDR therapy. My office is located in Claremont and it conveniently neighbors La Verne, San Dimas, Upland, Ontario, Glendora, Rancho Cucamonga, and other Inland Empire, Orange County, and Los Angeles County cities.