EMDR Online Therapy can be as or more effective than face-to-face EMDR treatment because treatment takes place in the comfort of your home in your “safe place.” Your safe place is part of the EMDR protocol, which I will explain and work through with you. Online sessions also relieve the stress of travel to the office. A confidential and HIPPA compliant platform is used during video sessions.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a very creative and powerful method of reprocessing the repetitive cycles that make you feel stuck. EMDR can help whether you are repeating an addictive behavior or a relationship pattern or behavior that just doesn’t make you happy and/or doesn’t help you to reach your goals.
Many times we get into a rut, a repetitive cycle that occurs unconsciously. We find ourselves repeating the same behavior or thought that brings us unhappiness. Although these repetitive cycles may be unconsciously driven to protect us from past trauma(s), in time they prevent movement toward growth and healthy living. In order to let go of this dysfunctional cycle, you may need more than talk therapy. EMDR is powerful and brief focused.
How Does EMDR Work?
EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information. You start with where you are stuck and then we process the situation, beliefs, feelings and body memories associated with the “stuckness” (where the memory of the trauma is trapped). EMDR therapy works by using bilateral stimulation of the brain, either through eye movements, sound tones, or tapping, while exploring negative beliefs and key memories.
EMDR online therapy is done using eye movements and or guided tapping, and follows the exact same process as in-person therapy. The same precautions are taken for online therapy, as in-person therapy, to ensure your safety and readiness for EMDR prior to beginning the bilateral stimulation phase of the therapy.
There is more and more evidence that emotionally charged memories and images also play an important role in other psychological problems and disorders, such as chronic pain, eating disorders, depression, health related problems, addictions, and relationship problems. I will use EMDR Therapy and personalize the approach to your needs by incorporating other types of therapy as needed. Some of these other therapies include Cognitive Behavioral, Compassionate Inquiry, Mindfulness, Brief focused and /or Solution Focused therapy.
EMDR is a trauma-focused psychotherapy that is one of the most studied treatments for PTSD. A large number of studies demonstrate it is effective to treat PTSD when administered over approximately three months. EMDR has the strongest recommendation for being an effective treatment in most clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of PTSD.
Dr. Pollack is an EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) Certified clinician and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant in EMDR. In 1993, she was EMDR Institute-trained by Dr. Francine Shapiro, the founder and developer of EMDR.