EMDR Therapy for Clients in the Kanas City, MO, Area

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative, evidence-based psychotherapy approach proven highly effective for helping individuals heal from trauma, PTSD, and other disturbing life experiences. It is a comprehensive therapy using a set of standardized protocols that incorporate elements from different treatment approaches.

At our office in the Kansas City, Missouri, area, True Course Counseling has a team of therapists specializing in EMDR therapy to help you come to terms with traumatic experiences and free yourself from destructive fears and thought patterns.

How Does EMDR Work?

EMDR therapy uses a technique called bilateral stimulation to repeatedly activate opposite sides of the brain. This is often done through guided eye movements, similar to the rapid eye movements (REM) during sleep when the mind processes daily experiences.

EMDR seems to help the brain reprocess trapped traumatic memories and resume normal information processing. At True Course Counseling, your therapist will make you feel secure and supported throughout the EMDR therapy process, guiding you through multiple steps, including:

History and Treatment Planning

At the start of EMDR therapy, your therapist will take time to understand your unique background, experiences, and treatment needs. We’ll discuss the disturbing memories or situations contributing to your current difficulties. Together, we’ll identify targets for EMDR processing and develop a customized treatment plan outlining how we’ll utilize this powerful approach to help you heal.

Preparation for Memory Processing
Before reprocessing traumatic memories, it’s important we cultivate a safe, trusting therapeutic environment. Your therapist will educate you on EMDR so you feel prepared. We’ll also work on developing coping strategies and identifying personal resources to help you manage any emotional intensity that may arise. Proper preparation allows you to process memories effectively.

Assessment of Disturbing Memories

When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you in recalling a specific disturbing memory. We’ll have you mentally represent it through a picture or phrase capturing the event’s worst part. Then, you’ll articulate the currently held negative belief about yourself related to that memory. This provides a baseline for evaluating progress.

Focused Bilateral Stimulation and Memory Processing

This is the reprocessing phase where the real therapeutic work occurs. While focusing on the disturbing memory, your therapist will initiate bilateral stimulation, often through tracking eye movements. This helps your brain reprocess the trapped memory and begins linking it with more positive perspectives. We’ll continue sets of this stimulation as you share related thoughts, emotions, and body sensations.

Installing Positive Cognitions

As the traumatic memory becomes less charged, your therapist will help you replace negative self-beliefs with positive affirmations about yourself related to that experience. Bilateral stimulation during this phase helps your brain fully integrate and metabolize the new, empowered thought pattern so you develop self-compassion.

Body Scanning

Towards the end of an EMDR session, your therapist will guide you through a body scan exercise. Here, you’ll mentally notice any residual physical tensions which could represent additional associations to the memory. Accessing these somatic experiences provides another pathway for further reprocessing.

Closure

Each EMDR session ends by reinstating your current positive perspective on the original disturbing event. We’ll review techniques to keep you psychologically oriented until our next meeting.

Reviewing Progress

At the start of each subsequent EMDR session, we’ll review what memories and experiences were addressed previously. We’ll rejoin that associative stream, gauge your current level of disturbance, and determine where reprocessing should resume. This phase ensures each session builds on your cumulative progress.

What Conditions Can EMDR Treat?

While originally established for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), EMDR has been proven useful for treating a wide range of issues stemming from disturbing life events, including:

• Panic attacks and anxiety disorders
• Complicated grief and loss
• Dissociative disorders
• Disturbing memories and nightmares
• Phobias and excessive fears
• Chronic pain disorders
• Performance anxiety
• Addictions
• Stress reduction and management
• Sexual, physical, or emotional abuse
• Body dysmorphia and eating disorders
• Personality disorders

Perhaps you experience distressing emotions that seem excessive, tend to be highly reactive to certain triggers, or have dysfunctional beliefs about yourself that you know aren’t true on some level. If so, you may benefit from reprocessing these experiences through EMDR therapy.

Getting Started with EMDR

If you’ve experienced a disturbing life event that still impacts your daily thoughts, emotions, or behaviors, EMDR may help provide relief. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how this innovative trauma therapy could assist in your personal healing journey.