EMDR Therapy in Glendale, AZ
EMDR therapy for adults seeking help with distressing experiences, trauma-related concerns, and emotional patterns that feel difficult to move past.
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Heart CARE Counseling is now accepting new clients for in-person and telehealth counseling.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
What Is EMDR Therapy?
Heart CARE Counseling offers EMDR therapy in Glendale, Arizona, with telehealth sessions available throughout Arizona when clinically appropriate.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, commonly known as EMDR, is a structured form of psychotherapy designed to help people process distressing experiences and memories that continue to affect the present.
Sometimes an experience is over, but the emotional impact of it does not feel over. A memory may continue to trigger anxiety, shame, fear, anger, physical reactions, negative beliefs about yourself, or difficulties in relationships.
EMDR is intended to help the brain process those experiences in a way that reduces their emotional intensity and allows them to become part of the past rather than continuing to feel as though they are happening in the present.
What Happens During EMDR?
What Happens During EMDR?
EMDR is more than simply moving your eyes back and forth.
It is an eight-phase therapeutic process that includes understanding your history, developing a treatment plan, preparing for the work, identifying specific experiences or concerns to address, processing those experiences, and evaluating how things change over time.
During the reprocessing portions of EMDR, you may briefly focus on aspects of a distressing memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation. This commonly involves guided side-to-side eye movements, although other forms of bilateral stimulation may also be used.
Throughout the process, you remain awake, aware, and in control.
Do I Have to Describe Everything That Happened?
Do I Have to Describe Everything That Happened?
Not necessarily.
One reason some clients appreciate EMDR is that it does not always require describing a painful experience in extensive detail.
We will need enough information to understand what you are experiencing and to determine appropriate treatment, but you do not necessarily have to provide a detailed verbal account of every aspect of a distressing event in order to engage in EMDR processing.
You can also let me know at any time if you need to slow down, pause, or stop.
What Can EMDR Be Used For?
What Can EMDR Be Used For?
EMDR is best known for its use in the treatment of trauma and posttraumatic stress.
Depending upon a client's history, symptoms, needs, and treatment goals, EMDR may also be considered when distress is connected to experiences such as:
Traumatic or frightening events
Painful or disturbing memories
Relationship injuries or betrayal
Experiences of loss
Shame or negative beliefs about oneself
Situations that continue to trigger strong emotional or physical reactions
Other difficult life experiences that continue to affect the present
EMDR is not automatically the right approach for every concern or every client. Part of our work together is determining whether EMDR is appropriate for your particular needs.
Preparation Comes Before Processing
Preparation Comes Before Processing
Beginning EMDR does not mean immediately revisiting the most painful experience of your life.
The early phases of EMDR include learning about your history, understanding what is currently affecting you, identifying your goals, assessing readiness, and developing resources to help you manage emotional distress.
Some clients are ready to begin reprocessing relatively quickly. Others benefit from spending considerably more time developing stability, coping skills, emotional awareness, and a sense of safety before moving forward.
The pace of treatment is individualized to you.
Will EMDR Erase My Memory?
Will EMDR Erase My Memory?
No.
The goal of EMDR is not to erase an experience or make you forget what happened.
Instead, successful processing may allow you to remember an experience without experiencing the same degree of emotional distress, physical activation, or negative beliefs that were previously connected to it.
The event remains part of your life story, but it may no longer have the same power over your present.
Is EMDR Evidence-Based?
Is EMDR Evidence-Based?
EMDR has been extensively studied, particularly for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and is recognized in major clinical treatment guidelines as an evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapy.
As with any form of counseling, individual responses vary. No particular result or timeline can be guaranteed.
Is EMDR Right for Me?
Is EMDR Right for Me?
You do not need to decide that before beginning counseling.
Before using EMDR, we will discuss your concerns, history, current circumstances, coping resources, treatment goals, and any factors that may affect whether EMDR is an appropriate approach.
If EMDR appears to be a good fit, I will explain the process and answer your questions before we begin.
If another approach appears more appropriate, we can discuss other options.
EMDR at Heart CARE Counseling
EMDR at Heart CARE Counseling
At Heart CARE Counseling, EMDR is provided as part of an individualized counseling process rather than as a one-size-fits-all technique.
The therapeutic relationship, your readiness, your goals, and your ability to remain emotionally grounded are important parts of deciding when and how EMDR should be used.
You remain an active participant throughout the process, and treatment will be collaborative in determining the pace and direction of care.
EMDR services are provided by Dave Felder, LAC, an EMDR-trained Licensed Associate Counselor practicing under Board-approved clinical supervision. EMDR may be incorporated into individual counseling when it is clinically appropriate and consistent with the client’s goals and readiness.
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