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EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization
and Reprocessing. It was developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro to help people
who have survived traumatic events to recover more quickly than with regular
psychotherapy. The EMDR International Association describes EMDR as a
“physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing
material in a new and less distressing way,” and EMDR seems to directly
affect brain functioning. Nonetheless, how it works exactly is not known.
It’s believed that EMDR is similar to what happens during dream
or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. When we are very upset, our brains
do not function normally, so that disturbing events can become “frozen
in time.” Thus, when we remember that event it can feel as bad as
the first time it happened because the images and sensory information
attached to the memory have not changed. This lack of processing the memory
can affect how we relate to the world, and can limit our ability to enjoy
life.
When you seek EMDR, the therapist needs to determine whether EMDR will
help you or not, and if it seems like it will help, the therapist develops
the target for EMDR. What this means is that I will help you remember
what happened in the original event, how you felt about it, and how you
think about yourself when you remember that trauma. As you call all the
sensory and emotional aspects of the memory to mind, I will guide you
through a set of eye movements that will often lead to a new understanding
of the original event. Your feelings about it may seem to become unglued
from the event, and you may get a more detached perspective on it. As
you reprocess the material, you may feel intense emotions, but generally
by the end of the session, you feel a lot less upset by the event. Every
person has a different experience of EMDR, and there’s no wrong
way for you to do it.
I have seen EMDR work for not only traumatic memories, but anxiety disorders,
stress reduction, complicated grief, and phobias. I have advanced training
in EMDR and use it regularly in my practice, and clients have been very
satisfied with the freedom they’ve gained from their disturbing
memories.
From EMDRIA, “What is EMDR?”
Austin, TX. Internet Home Page: www.emdria.org
DBT
stands for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, which is a blend of Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy and Eastern/Buddhist mindfulness practices. It was
developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, a psychologist who has worked extensively
with people who harm themselves and have trouble handling their emotions,
impulses, and relationships. There are four main modules of skills offered
in this treatment style: core mindfulness; emotional regulation; interpersonal
effectiveness; and distress tolerance. The dialectical part comes from
the idea of holding two opposites simultaneously, such as the desire to
be close to a person and the desire to be separate from them, or the desire
to hurt oneself and the desire to help oneself. While this simple description
barely does this type of therapy justice, it is a brief introduction to
the skills that I find are helpful for a broad range of problems.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
is very helpful in identifying ways of thinking that don’t work
for us and make us feel worse, but there are times when something bad
happens to us and there is no right way to think about it to make it less
painful. In order to be able to identify the thought patterns that don’t
work for us, we have to be able to observe our own thoughts, feelings,
needs and desires. Many people find this difficult when they are in the
grips of an emotional upheaval, or if they’ve become disconnected
from their feelings for a long time. By learning the core mindfulness
skills, many people are able to begin observing, naming, and accepting
their internal experiences. Instead of being ruled by emotional mind (which
occurs when feelings predominate) or reasonable mind (which is concerned
only with facts and devoid of feelings), we are encouraged to develop
and listen to wise mind. Wise mind is informed by emotional information
as well as reflection and becoming “unstuck” from emotion.
When practiced rigorously, these skills can help people build a “life
worth living”, and remember that they have choices other than the
self-destructive ones that seem to have the most pull in the moment.
I have taught these skills
to individuals and groups, not just for impulse control problems and emotional
dysregulation, but also for teens with social skills deficits, severely
mentally ill clients who need help resisting suicidal ideation, and people
with PTSD. Who couldn’t use some wisdom and acceptance of the
things they cannot change?
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