At Christian Counseling of Tampa, we have many trauma therapy approaches to help people walk through past trauma in their lives. We offer both EMDR and ART therapy to help individuals work through an array of past traumas.
What is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) focuses on the individual’s present concerns. The EMDR approach believes past emotionally-charged experiences have major influences on your present emotions, sensations, and thoughts about yourself. As an example: “Do you ever feel worthless although you know you are a worthwhile person?”
EMDR therapy is a form of trauma therapy that helps you break through emotional blocks. They may keep you from living an adaptive, emotionally healthy life.
EMDR uses rapid sets of eye movements. These help you update disturbing experiences, much like what occurs when we sleep. During sleep, we alternate between regular sleep and REM (rapid eye movement). This sleep pattern helps you process things that are troubling you.
EMDR therapy replicates this sleep pattern. It alternates between sets of eye movements and brief reports about what you notice. This alternating process helps you update your memories to a healthier present perspective.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT EMDR?
EMDR focuses on the brain’s ability to always learn, take past experiences, and update them with present information. Adaptive learning is always updating memory network systems. Past emotionally-charged experiences often interfere with your updating process. EMDR breaks through that interference. This form of trauma therapy in Tampa, FL helps let go of the past and update your experiences to a healthier present perspective.
EMDR uses a set of procedures to organize your negative and positive feelings, emotions, and thoughts. Then, it uses bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or alternating tapping, as a way to help you work through those disturbing memories in an effective way.
WHAT DO THE SESSIONS LOOK LIKE?
Beginning our trauma therapy work:
Your trauma therapist will provide psychoeducation on the process of EMDR. They will offer illustrations of the process as needed. Plus, they can answer any questions or concerns. Within the trauma therapy plan, EMDR, along with any other desired or recommended therapy modalities will be also outlined. Your trauma therapist will work with you to analyze your negative core beliefs. These may have been adopted and reinforced by your experiences. Then, a target sequence plan will be developed. These will outline your experiences and set a plan for processing.
IN PROCESSING:
A trauma therapist will ask a set of questions to access and activate the negative experience and the desired adaptive resolution. Sets of rapid eye movement or other forms of bilateral stimulation (BLS) will be applied. Sets of eye movements or other forms of BLS will be alternated with brief reports about what you are experiencing. EMDR processing will continue until the past experience has been updated to an adaptive present perspective. With long-standing issues, this trauma therapy process may take more than one session.
AFTER PROCESSING:
Once the disturbing experiences get updated, you and your trauma therapist will work together. You will work to integrate these new insights and perspectives into your daily life. You and your therapist will also discuss any insights gained between sessions or further processing needs. Yet, an extra recollection of events or trauma responses may surface. If so, you and your trauma therapist will address them in processing. This will continue to aid in the reduction of trauma responses and completion of your trauma therapy goals.
Q+A
Do I have to tell ALL the details about what happened?
No, it is not necessary to talk about all the details of your experiences for them to be processed.
Will I get emotional?
Yes, you may. Emotions and sensations may come up during processing. Although, you will be prepared and your trauma therapist will help you manage them in a safe way. Once they get processed, they rarely come back!
Is EMDR like hypnosis?
No. During EMDR processing, you are present and in full control.
Is EMDR a brief treatment?
EMDR, as with all trauma therapy approaches, will help you meet your treatment goals. The length of time that it takes is dependent upon the complexity of your problems. Often, EMDR is only one of several trauma therapy approaches that are used to help you reach your goals.
See EMDR Institute, Inc. for more info.
Sage Roberts, LMHC currently provides EMDR therapy at our South Office.
Catch up on the rest of our trauma series below:
Part 1: 5 Signs You May Need a Trauma Therapist in Tampa, FL
Part 2: Identifying and Changing Negative Thought Patterns After Trauma
Part 3: Understanding and Coping With Painful Trauma Nightmares and Flashbacks
Part 4: Coping with the Numb, Disconnected, and Detached Feelings Caused by Trauma
Part 5: Unpacking Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms: Identify Behaviors You Need To Let Go Of
Part 6: Overcoming the Fear and Avoidance of Trauma Triggers with Therapy
BEGIN TRAUMA THERAPY IN TAMPA, FL
You deserve support in overcoming the pain of the past. Our team of caring therapists would be happy to offer support from our North and South Tampa, FL offices. You can start your therapy journey today by following these simple steps:
Meet with a caring therapist
Start healing from your trauma.
OTHER SERVICES OFFERED WITH CHRISTIAN COUNSELING OF TAMPA
Trauma therapy isn't the only service offered at our Tampa, FL-based therapy practice. In addition to EMDR and ART therapy, we also offer other therapy services to support the mental health of you and your family. We are happy to also provide premarital counseling, marriage intensives, child therapy, Christian counseling, therapy for anxiety, and therapy for depression. We also offer CBT, EFT, ART, grief therapy, and other services. Feel free to learn more about us by visiting our FAQ or blog today!!