| EMDR Uses a Person's Eye Movements to "Rewire" | | | | sound, etc.) causes strong feelings to get |
| the BrainNew techniques gaining respect among | | | | desensitized. They loose their intensity.The theory |
| therapists can easily reduce or eliminate painful | | | | why this works - this alternate-bilateral stimulation |
| emotions, altogether. These methods (known as | | | | engages the right hemisphere of the brain, as well as |
| Power Therapies) bring relief from fears and | | | | the left hemisphere. Without engaging the right brain |
| traumas, like phobias, depression, grief, rape, natural | | | | as well, the trauma is not processed. Only mental |
| disasters, crime, childhood sexual abuse, and post | | | | health professionals are trained in EMDR, and sessions |
| traumatic stress. They've proven themselves to be | | | | are conducted within a therapeutic setting.My Typical |
| effective whether the pain is physical or | | | | EMDR Treatment SessionWhen working with a client, |
| emotional.Power Therapies usually produce marked | | | | I allow one hour fifteen minutes for an EMDR session. |
| results in three to eight sessions. And the results are | | | | While the person relaxes, the sounds play in the |
| usually permanent. So people don't need to wait for | | | | background. As in hypnosis, the client goes into a light |
| years to eliminate intrusive thoughts or memories. | | | | trance.I start by strengthening positive feelings, and |
| Respected scientific studies prove the benefits are | | | | feelings of times when they felt strong, confident, |
| real and long-lasting.Each of the Power Therapies | | | | peaceful, and proud of something they'd done |
| reduces negative emotions by redirecting neural | | | | successfully. I intensify these feelings using imagery |
| pathways in the brain. Although each method differs | | | | and Eye Movements.The alternating sounds let the |
| in its approach, Power Therapies work by interrupting | | | | person close their eyes, and go more deeply into |
| old habits (reflexes) that developed from painful | | | | their experience. More importantly, they can move |
| incidents. During treatment, a person focuses their | | | | through the problem much faster than with traditional |
| mind on the pain or problem - which is desensitized. | | | | therapies. I guide them with my voice into the |
| As that happens, a new belief about the self | | | | traumatic or painful experience to be desensitized. |
| emerges, and the new belief (along with the feelings | | | | The topic was previously decided upon between us. |
| of well-being) are strengthened and built upon.A | | | | Any specific event leads inevitably to what's |
| person need not have any confidence in how these | | | | connected to it; and that, too, gets addressed.I ask |
| techniques work for them to be effective on their | | | | the person to name the emotion they're feeling, as |
| pain. It also doesn't matter whether the trauma | | | | they see themselves in this event. Then they rate |
| results from something that happened recently, or | | | | the amount of charge they feel about it (on a scale |
| from long ago. The precise cause of the distress | | | | of one to ten; ten being the highest). That's their |
| needn't be known. These treatments work by | | | | starting point (usually six or higher). I have them place |
| triggering brain functions below conscious | | | | their hand on the part of their body where that fear |
| awareness.EMDR Works Below the Level of | | | | emotion is held, and ask them to visualize any |
| Consciousness - Deep in the BrainStudies suggest | | | | pictures related to the emotion.The person continues |
| that memories too painful to deal with consciously | | | | the reverie, as connected experiences and images |
| are processed while the person is asleep. During the | | | | come up. As we process these images or emotions |
| REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep the eyes | | | | felt in the body (with the Eye Movements and the |
| move the same way as they do during EMDR | | | | alternating sound) they report the intensity of the |
| treatments.Intense fears are "learned" at the cortical | | | | feeling going down, to a one or two. Intense feelings |
| level of the brain, which is inaccessible to talk-it-out | | | | are no longer attached to the event.When this |
| therapies. Activities that interrupt and replace those | | | | happens, I ask, "What belief do you have about |
| negative emotions and reflexes, allow less painful | | | | yourself now as you look back at that event?" A |
| responses to take their place.EMDR treatment | | | | common example is to go from the belief that, "I'm |
| involves back-and-forth eye movements, alternating | | | | helpless," to, "Whatever happens I can/will handle it."I |
| sounds, and/or vibrations that stimulate the brain to | | | | end by intensifying and "Future Pacing" the good |
| resolve disturbing emotions. It was developed in the | | | | feeling that goes with "whatever happens I will |
| late 1980s by Francine Shapiro, to help patients deal | | | | handle it." I have them see and feel themselves |
| with disasters and post traumatic stress reactions. It | | | | (using imagery and suggestion) going through the day |
| was thoroughly researched with Viet Nam veterans, | | | | and into the future with this feeling fully activated in |
| and shown to be 80% more effective in processing | | | | their body. This exercise implants tangible imagery |
| trauma than other therapies. But EMDR works just as | | | | into the person's mind, so it affects their daily |
| well with less dramatic, hurtful events, or self-limiting | | | | activities.At the beginning of the next session I have |
| beliefs that cause low self-esteem.Language is a left | | | | them check inside their body, to see if there are any |
| brain function, and emotions are held in the right brain. | | | | remaining feelings surrounding the incident we have |
| This has been shown with SPECT Scans developed | | | | desensitized. If not, we go on to the next incident |
| by Daniel G. Amen, M.D. ( Dr. Amen specializes in | | | | (or memory) to be desensitized.The Essence of |
| working with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and | | | | Counseling is to Combine Methods that Best Serve |
| measures activity in the brain with this imaging scan. | | | | the ClientThe client-centered approach I use brings in |
| Looking at the brain with this instrument, the patient | | | | a variety of therapeutic methods. The Power |
| is asked to recall an unresolved trauma. When this | | | | Therapies are powerful and varied (also read about |
| happens the right hemisphere of the brain lights up in | | | | EFT, Emotional Freedom Techniques, which I teach |
| the image (it gets heated).This information was | | | | to all my clients ( person has unique emotional needs, |
| discovered about the same time that the mind-body | | | | so a range of treatments, like hypnosis or coaching, |
| therapies were developed. Focusing on where the | | | | may all combine to support their emotional growth. |
| feeling is held in the body, while having alternate | | | | The beauty of Power Therapies lies in their ability to |
| bi-lateral stimulation (as in eye movements, alternating | | | | alleviate lifelong problems so rapidly. |