EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR)

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EMDR is different for everyone, because the healing process is guided from within. Sometimes past issues or memories come up, which are related to the current concern. Sometimes a painful memory brings up unpleasant emotions or body sensations. This is normal and generally passes within a few minutes, as long as the EMDR is not stopped. The upsetting emotion or memory often seems to fade into the past and lose its power. 

During each EMDR therapy session—depending on what phase of the treatment you are in—your therapist will guide you through a series of questions or ask you to focus on a memory or emotional sensation while bilateral stimulation occurs via TheraTapper, lightbar, or hand movements. As the movement simulates the Rapid Eye Movement we experience during sleep, painful memories are triggered, processed, and eventually reprogrammed without the painful, negative sensations blocking the mind’s ability to self-heal the emotional turmoil. Although these sensations can be powerful and intense, they are not uncomfortable and require only minimal verbal communication between counselor and client. 

It is important to note that you are the one in control in an EMDR session as it is your own brain that will be doing the processing. During EMDR treatment, you will remain in control, fully alert and wideawake. This is not a form of hypnosis and you can stop the process at any time. Throughout the session, the therapist will support and facilitate your own self-healing and intervene as little as possible. Reprocessing is usually experienced as something that happens spontaneously, and new connections and insights are felt to arise quite naturally from within. As a result, most people experience EMDR as being a natural and very empowering therapy

You may continue to process the material for days or even weeks after the session, perhaps having new insights, vivid dreams, strong feelings, or memory recall. This may feel confusing, but it is just a continuation of the healing process, and should simply be reported to the therapist at the next session. As the distressing symptoms fade, you

can work with the therapist on developing new skills and ways of coping.

EMDR is an innovative clinical treatment which has successfully helped over a million individuals. The validity and reliability of EMDR has been established by rigorous research. There are now nineteen controlled studies into EMDR making it the most thoroughly researched method used in the treatment of trauma, (Details on www.emdrcanada.org and www.emdria.org) and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for PTSD. Adapted from www.thetraumacentre.com.

No. EMDR therapy is a mental health intervention. As such, it should only be offered by properly trained and licensed mental health clinicians. Our therapists have completed EMDRIA's approved, intensive training program and have sought rigorous clinical consultation post-training.

Your clinical team at Terradyne will review your individual needs prior to, and upon arrival (within the first several one-on-one sessions) to assess whether or not you could benefit from EMDR as a primary source of your treatment here at Terradyne. For some individuals, EMDR may not be a good fit and this will be determined during your sessions with our clinicians. If you are interested in specifically seeking EMDR treatment while in our care at our facility, please indicate this during your intake. We are happy to accommodate anyone specifically seeking this form of therapy from our therapists.

Generally, EMDR requires a longer term commitment and therefore EMDR is not available for our shorter stay packages here at Terradyne.