If you have ever had a traumatic experience, whether it was something that happened to you or you watched it happen to another person, then chances are that you have tried different forms of therapy to get over that trauma. One type of therapy called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has been known to be helpful in these types of situations and is quickly becoming very popular. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment method originally developed to help patients suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). If you have PTSD, you may want to consult with a Financial District EMDR specialist to determine if you can benefit from this treatment. We look at some of the stages of the treatment in this article.
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History Gathering
During the first phase of EMDR therapy, the Financial District therapist will gather some information about your situation. The therapist would want to know what happened and when it happened, how you felt after the event took place, if any other events may have taken place at or around the same time as the original incident, if there were any other people involved and what kind of relationship you have with them, and so forth. The therapist will also want to know how the memory of the event makes you feel and any other information about how it has affected your life, either in the short term or long term.
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Preparation
Preparation can include taking a trip down memory lane by having you talk about the event and recall all of the details surrounding it. Once you talk about the incident, the therapist will want to know how it makes you feel.
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Assessment
Next, the therapist will assess your situation based on several different things. Some of the issues you might address during this time include negative thoughts, mental images/flashbacks from your memory, emotions and other sensations in your body, any feelings or reactions to reminders of the event, and how much these things interfere with your daily life.
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Desensitization
Once your Financial District therapist has assessed the situation, they will move into desensitization. This is where you will be asked to think about the event that happened to you repeatedly to get used to talking about the experience.
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Installation
Once you have talked about the incident enough, your therapist will then look to install positive feelings and thoughts. This is where you will be asked to think about what things were like before the traumatic event. You will also be given positive statements that you can repeat to make it easier to remember good times in your life.
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Body Scan
Next, you will be asked to go through what happened to you step-by-step. This is where the therapist will begin with the aspect of your experience that was most distressing and then gradually move towards less emotionally intense parts of the incident until you are capable of talking about it without feeling distressed.
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Closure
Lastly, the therapist will initiate a closure that includes talking about what you have learned through the experience, what you will remember about your experience, how it has changed you as a person, and what degree you are ready to move on from it.
In summary, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a type of treatment that is effective for trauma sufferers. Not all Financial District therapists offer the same types of treatments, so you must find one specializing in EMDR if you want to try this type of therapy.
