Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of trauma therapy that has been determined to be effective for treating a range of mental health disorders. EMDR therapy makes use of a variety of tools and techniques to replace negative associations a person has with a traumatic event with associations that do not cause distress.
Fresh Start Recovery Center’s EMDR therapy program in Maryland is designed to help our clients address their trauma and begin to heal. To learn more about the benefits of EMDR therapy, reach out to us online today or call us at 833.625.0398 to speak with a trained representative.
What Is the Purpose of EMDR Treatment?
EMDR is a therapy technique designed to help those who suffer from past trauma begin the process of healing. There’s a saying that “what fires together, wires together.” This means that associations the brain makes create strong impressions. EMDR is a process of unlearning and retraining the brain so that when a painful memory is recalled, a person is not reliving that experience in real-time. The experience of reliving painful trauma as if it is occurring in the present is what we call post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Who Can Benefit from EMDR?
Trauma from any time in a person’s life that is left untreated can compound. Over time, a person with unresolved trauma is more susceptible to developing mental health disorders such as:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Major depressive disorder (MDD)
- Mood spectrum disorders
- Personality disorders
Those who have experienced trauma may be tempted to turn to alcohol or drugs in order to cope. While drugs and alcohol may provide temporary relief from anxiety and other mental health issues, repeated abuse of substances inevitably leads to addiction. Individuals who are struggling with addiction can benefit from EMDR. EMDR can help provide relief from the trauma that leads a person to turn to substance abuse to cope.
Reasons to Try EMDR Therapy
EMDR treatment centers provide therapy that can help clients with PTSD and other mental health issues learn better techniques to manage their symptoms. In early sessions with an EMDR therapist, clients discuss their personal history and life experiences in order to pinpoint traumatic experiences that are believed to be sources of PTSD. In an EMDR session, a therapist trained to use EMDR encourages the client to carefully bring to mind and recount a traumatic instance. Together, the therapist and client use EMDR tools to remove negative thoughts and emotions associated with the experience.
In order to rewire the brain and stop negative experiences from causing current mental health symptoms, clients in EMDR treatment centers focus on negative thoughts, emotions, and your bodily feelings associated with the traumatic memory in their mind while the EMDR therapist uses devices including flashing lights, buzzers, and beeping machines, to reorient mechanisms in the brain associated with memory retention and retrieval.
Over the course of several sessions at EMDR treatment centers, the goal is to alter the physical and emotional responses to the recollection of a memory. This means that when a person brings to mind a traumatic experience or memory, they are able to think about it without feeling negative emotions and physical sensations. After working together for several sessions, an EMDR therapist will have the client undergo another assessment to determine the client’s current state and determine if there are additional traumatic experiences to target in EMDR sessions.
Explore the EMDR Treatment Program at Fresh Start Recovery Center
If you or someone you love is struggling with trauma, we want you to know that the professionals at Fresh Start Recovery Center are here to help. Our mental health practitioners are trained in a wide range of trauma-focused therapies, including EMDR. You do not have to suffer in silence. We can help you recover from trauma and the disruptions that PTSD and other trauma-related mental health issues can cause in daily life. Reach out to us today either online or at 833.625.0398 to speak with a trained representative about treatment options that make the most sense based on your particular life circumstances.
