Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Explanation:
The simple explanation for EMDR Therapy:
We have a negative experience
Our brain goes into “survival mode” (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn)
The negative experience gets “stuck” because the brain was focused on survival and not processing the experience.
We develop negative beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world around us because they’re incompletely processed.
This can show up as anxiety, self-doubt, fear of abandonment, panic, shame, people-pleasing, feeling on edge, relationship struggles, or constantly feeling unsafe — even when we logically know the past is over, addictions, and so much more.
Eye-movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Using EMDR the brain is able to target the negative beliefs from our negative or “stuck” experiences and reprocess them the way our brain was designed to.
We’re finally able to access the adaptive information and update our memory networks / nervous system so we can finally stop living as if the negative events are still happening.
We’re left with desensitized negative beliefs that no longer hold so much power over use and newly installed positive beliefs.
Behavior change becomes inevitable because behavior follows beliefs.
Got Questions:
What are the phases of EMDR without the therapy / science jargon?
Not sure if your experience counts? What can EMDR Actually Help With
What negative beliefs are you talking about and what does it look like?
Schedule a free 30 minute zoom consultation to see if an EMDR Therapy Intensive in NJ with me might be a good fit.
The Scientific Explanation of EMDR Therapy:
Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured and evidenced based therapy that uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tappers, or auditory tones) to target negative or disturbing memories and reprocess them using the brains natural abilities to reduce the emotional intensity and impact.
The focus is not on our intellectual understanding of the events. The purpose of this process is not to analyze endlessly,
but to work directly with the patterns that are already in place.
You are not starting from scratch.
You are starting from:
experience
awareness
and a system that already knows how to adapt
The work is in refining that system so it no longer requires the same level of internal cost.
EMDR Therapy done in an intensive format can create deeper impact. If it’s going to take 10 hours of therapy to manage a symptom - do you want to dedicate an hour a week for 10 weeks or would you rather dedicate 4 hours a day for 3 days?
“The brain has a natural capacity to heal itself.”
DeTUR: Urge Reduction Protocol for Addictions and Dysfunctional Behaviors – The Accelerated Adaptive Information Processing Model
If you’re stuck in a loop you can’t seem to break—there’s a reason.
The DeTUR protocol targets urges at the root level, so you’re not relying on discipline to fix something that was never a discipline problem to begin with.
Addiction isn’t just substances.
It’s anything you reach for to take the edge off—and then can’t seem to put back down.
Overthinking.
Control.
Work.
Validation.
Food.
Infidelity.
Gambling.
Sex.
Codependency.
Shoplifting.
Ghosting.
Avoidance.
Shopping.
Numbing out.
Doom scrolling at 2am knowing you’re going to hate yourself in the morning.
If you’ve ever had the thought, “why am I like this?” right after doing the exact thing you said you wouldn’t do again—this applies to you.
I use the DeTUR protocol (Desensitization of Triggers and Urge Reprocessing) to go straight at the urges—not by white-knuckling through them, but by actually reducing the intensity at the source.
Because willpower isn’t the problem.
Your nervous system is.
Feeling-State Addictions Protocol
The Feeling-State Addictions Protocol is based on the premise that behavioral and substance addictions are based on the desire for the feeling linked to the behavior - NOT the desire for the actual behavior.
When the link between the feeling and the behavior is no longer present many individuals naturally stop or reduce the behavior.
Pain / Terror Release Protocol: An easier, gentler way to release intense feelings of pain or terror.
FLASH technique may be used as an adjunctive intervention in EMDR that can reduce the intensity of negative emotions / disturbance associated with a memory in a less direct and intense way than the full EMDR protocol. FLASH can provide relief from the negative emotions in a way that is less liekly to cause discomfort or emotional flooding.
FLASH can also be utilized in the preparation phase of EMDR which can assist in potentially reducing symptoms while the client is preparing for full reprocessing.
Somatic and Attachment Focused (S.A.F.E.) EMDR integrates how trauma affects an individuals ability to regulate the nervous system and connect with others.
S.A.F.E. EMDR is informed by somatic therapies, mindfulness practices, attachment theories, and neurological regulation which facilitates increased connection to the environment.
It can be very helpful in making EMDR more tolerable for client’s with complex trauma or attachment trauma.
EMDR Therapy Intensives allow us to target the entire loop in one intensive versus addressing a different part week after week.
Urge / Feeling → Behavior → Relief→ Shame
They also allow us to test our work and then immediately be able to address any concerns in the next day of the intensive.
Areas of Special Interest
Addictions / Urges & Compulsive Behaviors- Can apply to any maladaptive behavior that we do to “take the edge off” or “cope” with the things we don’t like. The DeTUR protocol takes us straight to the urge to decrease the intensity from the source. Feeling State protocol takes us to the positive association between behavior and reward to interrupt the reward loop.
Secrecy & Shame Wounds: The shame we carry from having a “double life” or the legacy of a family of origin that does not match the life you’re built.
First Generation Adults Navigating The Expectations of Two Cultures: It’s hard enough to navigate families - navigating two different cultures can leave us feeling like there’s no way to win.
CPTSD & Emotionally Immature Family Systems - For those that didn’t get their emotional needs met in childhood.
Estrangement - When we’re contemplating or have gone no or low contact with our family.
Individuals with ADHD / Neurodiversity - It’s challenging to be forced to navigate a system that was not built for the way your brain works.
Women Entrepreneurs / Executives - There’s no way you worked this hard to not feel like you have the life you dreamed of.
Men That Struggle to Recognize Their Emotions - Society built a narrative that keeps men carrying everything alone and then prevents the opportunity to develop the emotional intelligence skills that would ease the burden.
Toxic Relationships- When you know “something is off” but the alternative seems unbearable.
Infidelity- Both for individuals recovering from betrayal wounds & individuals that want to stop engaging in this behavior.
Intellectualizers That Are “Too Self-Aware” For Therapy- Understanding how/why and “solving” the problem can feel productive, but it doesn’t mean it feels good or actually resolves the pattern.
Performance Blocks- Feel like you’re stuck or having trouble leveling up your performance in athletics, creative endeavors, or business.
High Performers That Have A Hard Time Relaxing and Can’t Understand How Others Make it Look So Easy- Have you been told “it’s not that serious” or to “relax and live a little” by those around you and found yourself utterly baffled at what they’re talking about.
Session Types
90 Minute EMDR Therapy Sessions-
This is the shortest recommended length for EMDR sessions.
Trying to manage a check-in and deep processing in EMDR in less time can slow down progress and make sessions feel rushed.
These are my most popular session type.
They work well for individuals with busy schedules that want the benefits of consistent therapy but have a hard time fitting it in weekly.
These sessions are typically done monthly.
Intensives typically range from 1-3 days in length and allow for multiple hours of processing on each day.
Clients typically achieve results equivalent to months of weekly sessions in just a few days.
Intensives are an excellent option for a single theme or concern.