Feeling Stuck in the Past? Do you need help moving forward in your life?
You have seen your share of challenges. Yet it feels like something keeps holding you back and you can’t seem to overcome it. Painful memories, seemingly out of nowhere, bombard your mind and you cannot help but have an emotional response. Maybe you feel anxiety filled, not knowing what the next trigger will be and how long it will take you to move through the high jacking of your mind – to regain your sense of stability. Of course, you want to stop thinking about these negatively charged events from your past, but for some reason you cannot seem to move past it. Shoving the feelings down, trying to bury the pain- didn’t work. It can feel like a pain eruption out of nowhere!
Perhaps, you’ve tried counseling or other things to cope with your distress, but nothing has worked. You desperately need things to change but don’t know what to do or where to start. You want to find peace, move forward and feel like you have direction for your life. It’s time to find something different; something effective.
This feeling of being “stuck” is a common trauma response. When we experience trauma or a very distressing life event, our brain goes into survival mode, and the memory of what happened gets stuck in the emotional side of your brain (as opposed to be filed away -in historical memory).
Then, when events, people or even an odor triggers you- it takes you BACK to that distressing event in the past. Perhaps you may know what your triggers are, or you may not. Yet everything you have tried thus far, has not stopped the emotional landslide of the painful memories and feelings of despair. It maybe, that you think you are losing it; depressed, anxious or the trigger-trauma- emotional responses could be impacting your relationships at home or at work. You may be to the point you feel helpless, wonder if it is hopeless and feel like you are a shell of your real self.
If you can connect with any of the experiences above, EMDR Therapy can help you overcome these painful experiences so that you can feel peace within your own mind and body again. There is hope to help you get back on track to building the life that you want: free from that thing that held you back from creating your next great chapter in your life.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This treatment modality is brief short, is an extremely effective and well-researched therapeutic tool used to help clients move forward from past hurt, anxiety and trauma.
In therapy, we will work with you to help you gain awareness of how past experiences and emotions are presently impacting you. Then we can connect the dots to identify your “stuck points” (places in your memory that trigger the unwanted thoughts, sensations, emotions and behaviors).
EMDR therapy requires licensed counselors to follow a standard set of protocols to help you move distressing memories from the emotional side to the logical side of your brain; which lessens the emotional reactions you have when you’re triggered.
This is done through a technique called bilateral stimulation (also known as dual attention stimuli). Bilateral stimulation means stimulating both the left and the right sides of your brain. This can be implemented but a therapist moving their hand back and forth, while you follow it with your eyes. Sometimes, through tapping on ones knees or using sound (using audio with a headset).
The memory is activated and you are able to reprocess it. Over time, you’ll find that you’re not as easily triggered by memories of the past or when you are reminded of what happened, thinking about the memory becomes less painful. You’ll be able to live more fully in the present moment and move forward in your life.
EMDR therapy is well researched and has been proven to be successful in treating a variety of psychological concerns including: Developmental trauma, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, and Attachment wounds that impact self-esteem and relationship difficulties.
Want to learn more to see if EMDR can help you move forward? Call my office today and schedule a consultation.
