Why Alanna Loves EMDR
When I was a young therapy client, I was under the impression that the only way to process trauma was to comb over every detail of my lived experience in order to “heal”. For a long time, this misunderstanding of trauma work kept me from pursuing treatments outside of traditional talk therapy. As a therapist, what I love about EMDR is that the client can experience significant relief from trauma symptoms without ever having to retell their traumatic event or events.
Through my experience working with clients with eating disorders, depression, and anxiety, I have noted a common thread of these diagnoses developing as coping mechanisms to manage underlying trauma. With the use of EMDR, I have the privilege of sitting with clients as they take on the courageous task of processing their past experiences.
By definition, trauma indicates that the client experienced something negative, beyond their control, and outside their window of tolerance. I love EMDR because it empowers the client to reclaim their autonomy, rewrite the narrative of their trauma, and build confidence to take with them to their daily life.
