Why Sarah Loves EMDR

The whimsical part of me adores how EMDR therapy is kind of like this mystical, magical modality that calls upon the body and mind to work together to promote actual trait change instead of just state change. Don’t get me wrong, state change is extremely helpful and important to nurture, and it is built into EMDR therapy. However, when we can truly change maladaptive, negative beliefs about ourselves/others/the world, that is when the magic happens- and I am not talking about just “thinking your way out” of these beliefs. Bilateral stimulation was not invented for EMDR, it is part of our humanness, rooted in ancient and indigenous practices of rhythmic drumming, dancing, and other bilateral expressions. As a lover of music and rhythm, this just feels right. The science geek part of me loves the years of research and continued evolution of this amazing modality. I have long been fascinated by the idea of neuroplasticity which EMDR facilitates so well. Neuroplasticity is a building block of true posttraumatic growth. The brain is so cool and I am passionate about the connection between our body, mind and ALL senses. 

For me personally, it was the missing element both as a clinician and a client. After spending so much time intellectualizing my own trauma responses/negatively held beliefs, it was kind of mind blowing that I could reprocess experiences and notice true shifts in my behaviors and thinking patterns after doing work with an EMDR therapist. I went to grad school for mental health counseling a bit later in life, and was always intrigued by EMDR. When a grant became available to complete the basic training, I jumped at the opportunity. As expected, the training was the best I have ever had and I began conceptualizing all cases using the framework. I love that EMDR therapy plays nice with other theoretical concepts that feel intuitive to me such as Parts Work, Somatic practices, DBT (for state change), and compassion/mindfulness practices. There is freedom within this modality as well and even though so many people just think about the reprocessing phase/eye movements, it is still the therapeutic relationship that is at the core of its success. To be able to actually feel through things safely with another human is a beautiful thing.  

I am so excited to be part of a practice dedicated to providing EMDR therapy!