1. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. To date, EMDR has helped millions of people of all ages relieve many types of psychological stress.
Trauma Informed Counseling
As a therapist who works with people who have been traumatized either physically, sexually, emotionally, or spiritually, I have been trained in two modalities that help to reduce the impact of the trauma and help people find hope and health. EMDR and Brainspotting are two tools that can help to shift the perspective of people who are in pain. Below is a brief description of each and resources for further information.
Brain Spotting to Reduce Trauma
One client reported: “This is a God-given instrument. I could feel the front of my brain and the back of my brain connecting. I feel better.”
With any new psychological tool, I like to search the Bible to see where it fits with how God has created us to feel and heal. Here's what I found:
- “Let your eyes look straight ahead…” (Prov. 4:25-6)
- “Fixing our eyes on Jesus…” (Heb 12:2)
- “I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (Ps. 12:1-2)
The integration of spiritual truth with the tools He has given us to heal make for an amazing path towards healing.
Founder David Grant, Ph.D. writes in his book Brainspotting:
What is a Brain Spot?
“The activity in the subcortical brain in response to focused activation and eye position.”
“Wherever you look affects how you feel. In other words, when you look left or right or up or down, you experience things differently. The difference may be slight or very noticeable. And when you focus on something that you have strong feelings about, this looking left-right or up-down difference will be more pronounced.
So why do you react differently when you look in different directions? Well, shifting your eye position somehow changes what’s happening in your brain, although we are not sure yet how that works. You may think that you are aware of everything that goes on inside of you, but your brain is a vast universe. When you look at this universe, you are only seeing a small part of it. It’s like when you look at the surface of the ocean - you can think you see it all, but down below the surface, where you can’t see, is where most of the vast ocean exists. Brainspotting will help you to find more about your vast, complicated brain.”
EMDR works by using bilateral stimulation (I use a Theratapper that feels like a cell phone vibration in each hand) which repeatedly activates the opposite sides of the brain, releasing emotional experiences that are "frozen in time." It is compared to REM sleep, which is when we process our daily concerns. This therapy causes the brain to process what has not been able to resolve on it's own.
EMDR is not magic or hypnosis. It is merely a tool, where you are in control. I am a bystander that guides when appropriate to notice the changes, challenge distortions, and provide safety. It can help to let go, or move on from an old event, rather than re-experiencing it over and over.
EMDR allows an "unfreezing" of negative memories and emotions stored in the nervous system and help the brain to successfully process the experience.
For further information:
www.emdria.org
www.emdr.com
2. Brainspotting is a tool to reduce trauma developed by David Grand, Ph.D. It is a "focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms." (brainspotting.com)
https://vimeo.com/186019577