EMDR Therapy: A Research-Based Treatment in the Santa Clarita Valley, CA
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an evidence-based treatment approach used for many psychological or emotionally distressing life experiences. It can also be used effectively to help provide relief from chronic pain.
Research shows EMDR is one of the best treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although it can be used for many problems, including stress, anxiety and depression.
Backed by extensive research, EMDR is one of the most popular and effective therapy approaches used by therapists world-wide.
Over 100,000 therapists in the world use EMDR, and millions of people have been successfully treated with it over the past 25 years.
EMDR is recognized as a proven therapy by many national and international organizations, including:
- The American Psychiatric Association
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense
- The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
- World Health Organization
How is EMDR Therapy Different from Traditional Talk Therapies?
EMDR has many differences from other therapies:
- EMDR often takes less time to see results than many talk therapies.
- You don’t have to talk in detail about the problem or traumatic events in order to heal during treatment.
- EMDR doesn’t require you to complete daily homework in order for the treatment to be effective.
- EMDR facilitates the brain’s natural healing process by releasing the stuck energy caused by trauma and other distressing experiences.
- The therapy can be successful in fewer sessions than it may take with other psychotherapy approaches.
EMDR is Based on the Latest Research on the Brain
EMDR has been extensively researched over the past few decades, which is one of the key reasons it’s used by so many therapists all over the world.
Some studies have shown that people no longer have symptoms after only a few sessions. Recent research showed that it is one of the most cost-effective therapy approaches.
What Types of Problems Can Be Successfully Treated with EMDR Therapy?
EMDR has been used successfully to treat a myriad of symptoms. Everything from seemingly minor problems to more severe issues.
EMDR is often utilized to effectively treat symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD or trauma that are the result of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.
It’s also a common treatment method for trauma symptoms that are the result of experiencing natural disasters or accidents.
EMDR is not only used for problems due to traumatic experiences. It also can be effective for issues such as grief, low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness, difficult or painful relationships, and addictions.
A list of specific problems where EMDR therapy has shown to reduce or eliminate symptoms can be found here.
What You Can Expect from an EMDR Treatment with Me
EMDR has an 8-phase approach to therapy.
To begin, I’ll take a complete history of the difficulties you’re experiencing and then develop a treatment plan for moving forward.
I’ll then explain how EMDR works and teach you practical tools to use in your everyday life and to prepare you for the deeper work ahead.
Together, we’ll then determine which issues to address first and then move forward with the treatment.
The number of treatment sessions you’ll need will depend on many factors specific to your situation. We’ll discuss these during our work together.
A single incident traumatic experience can frequently be resolved in as little as 4-6 sessions.
More complicated and repeated traumatic incidents such as childhood neglect, or emotional, sexual or physical abuse can take longer to heal, although they often take less time than traditional talk therapy.
You can read more about how I work with EMDR and other therapy approaches here.
My Extensive Training in EMDR and Other Trauma-Based Therapies
Here are the highlights of my EMDR training and other trainings:
- Certified Therapist in EMDR
- Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing International Association (EMDRIA) Approved Consultant
- EMDR Institute Approved Facilitator
- Trauma Resiliency Model® Master Trainer
- Advanced training in treating complex trauma, attachment and developmental trauma
- Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator (CDWF)
Read more about me and my 40 years of experience as a therapist on my About page.
We’ll have a brief, 20-minute conversation where we can decide whether EMDR is appropriate for you at this time.
If we decide we’re a good fit to work together, you can book an In-person therapy appointment at my Valencia office in the Santa Clarita Valley or a Virtual Therapy appointment that you can access from anywhere in the state of California.