EMDR Trauma Counseling Colorado Springs
What is Trauma?
When terrible events or experiences happen in our lives, trauma is the emotional response that happens in our bodies. This could be a physical trauma such as a car accident, a rape, physical abuse, or a natural disaster. There is also emotional trauma can be caused by emotional abuse, humiliation, and even grief.
Our bodies are hardwired to react to dangerous situations one of three ways: fight, flight, or freeze. These instincts keep us safe by essentially shutting down our thinking process and moving us straight to take action that will preserve our lives. For example, if you are hiking and suddenly see a bear, you would not stop to think, “I wonder how long it has been since that bear has eaten?” You would either hold very still (freeze) and hope that the bear would not see you, run for your vehicle (flee), or if the bear attacked, you would fight for your life.
These instincts are good, but sometimes don’t serve us well in the long term. Traumatic memories get stored in our bodies and our brains when not processed properly. When this happens, the body can get triggered by seemingly unrelated things.
Triggers can cause extreme physical responses that we don’t understand and can’t control such as sweating, trembling, increased heartbeat and difficulty breathing. Your body believes that you are in danger and goes into high alert. Your brain stops some of its normal function, such as rational thought, to deal with the threat.
This becomes a problem when a person finds themselves in a situation that is not dangerous, but their body still reacts. For example, the sound of fireworks may trigger a soldier just returning from the war. He may find himself hyper-vigilant because in the war there literally was danger around every corner, but now he is having trouble adjusting to regular life.
EMDR Therapy Colorado Springs
What is EMDR anyway?
EMDR stands of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This therapy is one of the most effective ways to treat trauma as it engages both sides of the brain and allows the trauma memory to be properly processed in the body.
What this means is that once the memory is processed, you no longer have a physical reaction to the memory. EMDR can reduce symptoms remarkably quickly as compared to other therapy. However, how quickly depends on the individual and the extent of their trauma.
Does EMDR require special training by Therapists?
Yes, only Therapists who have been trained in EMDR can use this type of therapy with their clients. I am certified in EMDR and completed over 80 hours of training.
I was first introduced to EMDR years ago as a client when I was doing my own counseling. I found EMDR to be highly effective personally. I was amazed by the results. I was adamant that I would one day use this with my clients.