Category: Anxiety Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is a psychotherapy method shown to help people recover from trauma symptoms. When we think of therapy, the image that probably comes to mind is sitting in a counselor’s office and talking about how you feel. EMDR is framed a bit differently. Mental health professionals who are efficient with EMDR help heal the brain naturally from trauma.

How Does EMDR Work?

EMDR’s goal is to help the individual understand and heal from distressing experiences. The method involves moving the eyes in a specific pattern while processing traumatic thoughts. Depending on the severity of the trauma, an individual will participate in 6-12 sessions. There are 8 phases in total that occur during these sessions.

1. History and Gathering Information: This phase consists of your mental health provider gathering information about you and your past to see if you are a right fit for the EMDR process. As the client, you will identify what events impact your life, as well as goals you would like to achieve in therapy.
2. Preparation: Understanding expectations and education about EMDR will be important before you begin. Your health care provider will want to explain the process to you before you agree to participate.
3. Assessment: In order to complete the process, you will want to identify a specific memory or event that you wish to overcome. You will analyze your personal thought processes and emotions.
4. Desensitization and Reprocessing: During this phase, therapists will have you describe specific feelings when remembering the traumatic experience. You will identify how this situation affects daily functioning and other new thoughts you begin to experience.
5. Installation: This is the implementation of a positive belief. The negative thoughts and emotions will be reframed and the therapist will encourage that you focus on this newfound belief.
6. Body Scan: This stage will focus on physical symptoms of the body when processing trauma. Professionals will focus on tension, eye movements, and involuntary agitation. They will teach skills to help you relax.
7. Stabilization: Coping skills will be taught during this phase and the counselor will encourage the use of them in between sessions in order to reach stability.
8. Reevaluation: Once you have achieved your treatment goals, progress will be evaluated by the mental health professional. They will explain what to expect with your future, and how to seek additional treatment if need be.

Why EMDR?

Our minds are collections of thoughts, memories, beliefs, and experiences that make us who we are. The cells connect to one another in order to store memories. When a disturbing event takes place, these networks do not work properly. Trauma is difficult for your brain to heal, so instead of processing in a healthy way, it will try to push away and repress the memory. EMDR focuses on reprocessing, which is teaching your brain a healthy way to understand the event. When remembering the trauma, symptoms will not feel as severe and will be more manageable.

What Does EMDR Treat?

The most common use for EMDR is to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but other disorders it treats may include:

• Anxiety Disorders (generalized anxiety disorders, social anxiety, and phobias)
• Depression Disorders (persistent depressive and major depressive disorder)
• Dissociative Disorders (amnesia and derealization disorder)
• Eating Disorders (anorexia and bulimia)
• Gender Dysphoria
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Personality Disorders (borderline and antisocial personality disorder).

It is important to conduct research before engaging with EMDR treatment. You’ll want to understand the process of EMDR and even research professionally trained therapists in your area. Do some self-reflection and decide if you are ready to process and heal from past trauma. If you feel EMDR is right for you, reach out and schedule a consultation today with one of out EMDR trained Therapists!

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a therapeutic intervention used by mental health professionals that is proved to be effective with the treatment of depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and eating disorders. CBT places an emphasis on clients helping themselves through analyzing thinking processes and identifying patterns in behavior. The focus of the technique is moving forward from the past and finding ways to cope with the challenges of life.

Core Principles

The development of CBT is based on 3 core principles:

1. Core Beliefs: individuals are a direct result of their childhood experiences. They shape the way people view themselves, their environment, their beliefs, and their thoughts of the future.
2. Assumptions: people tend to make assumptions based on their ways of thinking. These are usually negative perceptions of reality due to irrational thought patterns.
3. Automatic Negative Thoughts: these are thoughts that automatically turn negative in our minds because of the way we perceive information. Thoughts will trigger unpleasant or negative emotions in which we may act on.

CBT is also the understanding of the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When a situation happens, our brains automatically have thoughts about the event. These thoughts will then trigger either a positive or negative emotion. Emotions are then what causes our behaviors and how we act.

CBT Strategies

When engaging with cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, you will notice certain areas of focus. These may include:

• Recognizing irrational thinking and learning to reframe thought processes
• Understanding the motivation to your behaviors
• Learning problem-solving skills
• Gaining confidence in personal skills and abilities
• Facing your fears
• Talking through problematic situations
• Learning effective coping skills to calm and relax the mind

While these are some common examples of CBT, the focus of CBT practices depends on the client’s needs. A collaboration with a mental health professional can help develop an effective treatment plan based around personal goals.

Why Use CBT?

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a useful tool because it can quickly help people identify and cope with life stresses and challenges. It follows a specific structure, and generally only needs a few sessions to complete. The focus is on identifying and expressing emotions, communication, learning coping skills, and managing physical and mental symptoms of different disorders. In some cases, CBT is most effective when it is paired with other treatments such as prescription medications.

Therapists and psychologists use CBT to treat a wide variety of issues, such as:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Personality Disorders
• Phobias
• Eating Disorders
• Substance Use Disorders

This technique is also used to treat non-psychological conditions:

• Migraines
• Insomnia
• Chronic Pain
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Lastly, CBT can be useful for many different life changes as well:

• Relationship issues
• Divorce
• Struggles at work
• Grief and loss
• Stress management

How to Know If CBT Is Right for You?

First and foremost, it’s important to know that cognitive behavioral therapy is centered around skill-based dialogue, or talking. It involves help from a professional who provides a nonjudgmental, safe, and welcoming environment that encourages vulnerability. Together, you will create and work towards a treatment goal.

At the start of therapy, build trust with your therapist by disclosing the challenges, symptoms, and stresses you’ve been experiencing. Depending on the situation, your therapist will then ask questions about your past, potential fears or phobias, troubling behaviors, and irrational thoughts. You will then identify patterns connecting your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and discover what you need in order to overcome these issues.

CBT may cause some emotional distress and uncomfortable feelings; but remember that this is all part of the healing process. If you notice yourself struggling with your mental health, and you feel that CBT and talk therapy may benefit you, reach out to a local therapist today!