EMDR Therapist Sacramento

EMDR Therapist Sacramento: Overview of EMDR

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a type of structured psychotherapy designed to help people heal and move forward in life after traumatic experiences, whether they are from long ago (such as childhood) or more recent. A traumatic experience can be any experience that was emotionally disturbing. In some mental health and medical settings (particularly in managed care), there are rigid definitions of what is or is not a trauma. For instance, in some clinical settings, only life-threatening experiences that result in a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis may be considered a trauma. Among trauma therapy professionals, however, there is wide consensus that what is traumatizing to individuals can vary. Many disturbing early life experiences, even those that do not involve violence, are traumatizing and have significant consequences in adulthood. Some of these consequences include difficulty in sustaining healthy relationships, coping with emotions and stress, and adapting to new challenges. For a more in-depth discussion about trauma and different trauma therapies, you can read this page about trauma therapy.

EMDR Therapy was started by a Clinical Psychologist named Francine Shapiro, who noticed that when she went on long walks and moved her eyes back and forth, she experienced a reduction in distress and was able to process difficult memories and emotions. She then developed therapeutic techniques using “bilateral stimulation” as a tool to help people process difficult material from the past. Bilateral stimulation is a distinctive component of EMDR and it refers to movement, such as eye movements back and forth or tapping. A client engages in bilateral stimulation while processing traumatic memories and the combination of these two activities leads to a reduction in the intensity of emotions associated with those memories and an integration of those memories into a wider memory network that allows the memories to be less likely to activate a trauma response.

Who Can Benefit From EMDR

When Francine Shapiro initially developed EMDR Therapy, it was primarily for working with individuals diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Over the years, however, it has developed into a widely used therapy for a variety of mental health concerns. EMDR Therapy is supported by robust research that suggests it is effective for treating not just trauma and post-traumatic stress but also anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, and addictions.

Finding a Good Fit in Therapy

EMDR has become really popular recently. Prince Harry and other famous people have discussed how EMDR has helped them with their mental health issues. Although EMDR is an appropriate therapy for many different kinds of concerns, it’s also important to work with a therapist who is a good fit in others ways. It might be helpful to meet with at least a few different therapists to determine goodness of fit before committing to starting with the first one who offers EMDR. Many therapists offer free consultations for just this purpose — to gauge goodness of fit. EMDR Therapy, like any other psychological intervention, occurs in the context of a relationship with a therapist you can trust and collaborate with. As such, even when the priority is to seek out EMDR, it’s still important to look for other qualifications, identities, or experiences a therapist might bring to the space. For instance, if a client is looking for EMDR for postpartum depression, they would likely want to work with someone who’s treated that before.

Where to Find an EMDR Therapist Sacramento

EMDR can only be provided by therapists who are trained to use it. These therapists are called “EMDR trained” or “EMDR certified.” It’s important that you as a consumer of mental health services contact therapists who are qualified to do this type of therapy so that you can start with a basic level of trust that EMDR is being delivered in the correct way.

If EMDR seems like a helpful approach to therapy for you, I offer a free first-time consultation to prospective clients.

Other places to find an EMDR therapist in Sacramento:

• The EMDR International Association’s Directory

• The Institute of Creative Mindfulness’ Directory of therapists in California

• Therapy Den’s list of specialists in EMDR

EMDR Therapist Sacramento: Conclusions

EMDR is a popular and powerful form of therapy for various mental health concerns, including trauma, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression. It is evidence-based, with a lot of support from research that suggests it is one of the most effective structured therapies in use today. EMDR is a good fit for people who have the sense that there are traumatic experiences in their past that need to be processed in order to heal and move forward in life. But it’s a good idea to consult with a therapist to make sure that EMDR is the right approach and be open to learning about different options and suggestions. In addition, just because a therapist is trained in EMDR doesn’t mean that they’re automatically a good fit in other ways. This is why I encourage clients to take advantage of free consultations offered by therapists for just this purpose — to get to know one another and see if it’s a good fit. Because therapy is an investment of your time, energy, and money, it’s important to find the right therapist for your unique challenges and strengths.