EMDR Therapy in Charlotte, NC
EMDR Trauma Therapy
Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Hi, my name is Carrie, and I’m an EMDR therapist in Charlotte, NC.
You may be feeling anxious, on edge, and flooded with memories from your past.
I understand, and I’m here to help you stop reliving past painful memories and experience life in the present.
I help people heal from past trauma, get unstuck and let go of negative beliefs to live fulfilling lives.
If you’re ready to let go of the past, schedule a complimentary consultation call with an EMDR therapist today.
My approach to EMDR Therapy
In a nutshell, EMDR Therapy helps our brain to process or digest information that’s very stressful and overwhelming so that we can think more rationally and fully integrate past experiences.
Think about if you are looking at a computer and you open a bunch of new windows. Eventually, if you open too many windows, the computer may freeze or crash. When an individual is experiencing a lot of stress, it can be like opening all these windows and over time one may become overwhelmed by their emotions and even change their behavior. EMDR therapy is about “closing out the window tabs” so your nervous system can relax!
Everybody’s brain processes trauma differently. For example, if two people were in the same car accident, their brains might process that car accident very differently. One person may not be able to drive afterwards, and someone else may be able to drive home that day without much additional stress. The same event can be traumatizing for one person and not for someone else.
It’s not right or wrong, but for some people the situation or traumatic event may be interpreted differently and need help to process it so that they do not continue to be impacted by the past event. Our brains are very powerful and they do actually do have the ability to spontaneously and organically process the experience in a way that’s useful, we often just need a little bit of help which is what EMDR therapy will do.
EMDR can help to calm down the nervous system and then can use other interventions to help create behavior changes as needed.
After successful EMDR therapy treatment, you will still remember what happened, yet you will not be overwhelmed with painful emotions or physical sensations when recalling memories of the traumatic experience.
EMDR THERAPY TO HEAL FROM TRAUMA
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based practice used in psychotherapy to treat trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and phobias. EMDR helps facilitate the brain’s natural healing processes through bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or tapping.
How does EMDR Therapy work?
During a traumatic or stressful event, the brain is unable to process information as it normally would. When overwhelmed, information can get “stuck” or stored in the brain in unhelpful ways, allowing past events to negatively affect you in the present. The old information can be triggered in the present and can cause you to have flashbacks or be triggered by similar thoughts, feelings, or bodily sensations from when the trauma occurred. This can impact the way a person views the world and how they relate with others.
EMDR therapy uses eye movements (similar to what occurs during REM sleep) to help facilitate information processing and reduce the effects of trauma and the underlying negative beliefs.
In addition to processing through a traumatic memory, EMDR therapy helps shift core negative beliefs to more neutral and even positive beliefs.
We can often know something in our rational mind, yet not believe it in our body at the same time. Our unconscious beliefs are often driving our behavior. This is one of many reasons why somatic therapy that examines the connection between the body and mind, such as EMDR is so effective.
Learn more about EMDR therapy for PTSD in this article from Psych Central where Carrie is featured.
EMDR therapy in charlotte, nc
What issues does EMDR treat?
Childhood trauma
Sexual assault & sexual abuse
Anxiety
Depression
Physical, Emotional & Sexual Abuse
Relational wounds
Panic Attacks
Flashbacks & Nightmares
Grief & Loss
Painful or Disturbing Memories
Self-esteem issues & negative core beliefs
EMDR Therapy Intensives
EMDR is often done in weekly 50-80 minute sessions, however if you are looking for more immediate relief from your symptoms, an EMDR Intensive can be a great option to get immediate results.
An EMDR intensive consists of an initial one hour intake session where we will create your treatment plan before scheduling a half day (3 hours) or full day (6 hours) intensive. Some intensives may be over multiple days. This will all vary depending on the type of the trauma as well as your treatment goals. Learn more about EMDR Intensives here.