Phone: (561) 799-6789 | Email: kathy@drshafer.org | 351 S. US Hwy One, Suite 100, Jupiter, Florida 33477
Phone: (561) 799-6789 | Email: kathy@drshafer.org | 351 S. US Hwy One, Suite 100, Jupiter, Florida 33477
If you’re seeking EMDR counseling near Jupiter, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, known as EMDR, is an integrative psychotherapy approach guided by the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model. Developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1987, EMDR helps the brain naturally process and heal from distressing experiences. Working with a Certified EMDR therapist ensures that this evidence-based approach is applied safely and effectively, helping individuals, including those with PTSD, to process old traumatic memories and develop healthier coping strategies.
During EMDR counseling near Jupiter, you’ll learn how old disturbing memories can become dysfunctionally stored in the brain. When this happens, they get locked into the nervous system with the original images, sounds, thoughts, and feelings involved. This is why old distressing experiences can continue to be triggered repeatedly, as if the past is still present, preventing healing, learning, adapting, and healthy coping.
In another part of the brain, you already have much of the information needed to resolve these experiences, but the two systems cannot connect. As a result, present-day triggers can feel strangely familiar because they activate unresolved memories from the past.
Once EMDR processing begins, these connections can start to form. New information becomes available to your working memory, allowing you to gain insight into old experiences, reduce emotional distress, and develop healthier ways of coping in the present. This process may be similar to what happens naturally during REM sleep, when eye movements help the brain process and integrate unconscious material.
Eye movements or other forms if bilateral/dual attention (tapping, movement, rocking, bilateral sound) activates this innate problem-solving process in the brain. Focusing on a specific problem during the EMDR session, and identifying the negative beliefs associated with what happened, then adding the bilateral/dual attention stimulation, you brain begins to problem solve. Since the specific issue has been selected to work on, the brain can work through it more effectively that what may randomly occur during REM sleep. Defense mechanisms that have been in place for a while can be accessed by the distracting stimulation of the eye movements.
Dr. Kathy Shafer is a Certified EMDR Therapist. Learn more about her and book an appointment.
During the EMDR sessions, eye movements similar to those in REM sleep are utilized to recreate the stored memory by asking the patient to respond to external stimuli such as a swinging pendulum, listening to headphones, holding tappers, or by tapping as the eye moves back and forth.
After short sets of eye movements, the therapist will ask the client to report back on “what do you notice” during each set of eye movements, and will be prompted to “go with that.”
This facilitates a release of the emotions attached to memories from the past. The pendulum motion, or shifting back and forth, between the calm and disturbed states, helps bring the Mindbody back into a natural state of balance.
Eye movements lead to a weakening or desensitizing of the original memory and the chain of associations that stimulates the modification of meanings.
It is found that with repeated sets of eye movements, other associated memories can be healed at the same time. This linking of events in the neural network has been reported by clients to lead to dramatic insight and healing in many aspects of life.
Experiences during an EMDR session may update or release a previous memory, can change the original memories for the better, or find new meanings and feelings about what happened. EMDR therapy seems to release the intensely painful emotions and helps store it differently so the memory becomes a neutral event that occurred in the past.
The assessment process to determine the appropriateness for the EMDR session may take several psychotherapy appointments. In such cases where EMDR is not deemed appropriate, other approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), or other somatic (body-based) interventions may be used.
If you are suffering from a trauma, addiction, or other difficult life experiences, you may be a candidate for EMDR.
Most of the time the Brainbody automatically self-regulates, responding to new experiences and events without you being aware of it. However, when something out of the ordinary occurs that is shocking, happens repeatedly, or a series of overwhelming stress or events occurs at the same time, this brain overload can result in a sense of feeling helpless, intense anxiety, and intense mood disturbance. The person can’t sleep, think clearly, or know who to ask for help. Examples of such incidents include: death, car accident, chronic health issues, childhood neglect, rape, sexual abuse, loss of a job, domestic violence, bullying, or relationship betrayal to name a few.
These “forgotten” stored memories, when activated by or triggered by some recent event deep in the memory center of the brain, are often accompanied by intense emotions and behaviors such as anxiety, panic, rage, shame, substance abuse, depression, regret, or despair. According to the Adaptive Information Processing Model (AIP-developed by EMDR founder Dr. Francine Shapiro) the intense reactions or emotions in the present may be linked to events from the past or anticipations about the future.
Neuroscience research has shown that the brain can unlock frozen memories, which can block the ability to separate what has happened then from what is happening now. The past or anticipated future is somehow present.
Yes! Until recently, it was believed that addiction treatment should begin before trauma treatment, requiring the patient to reach abstinence first before exploring the pain from the past. However, today, experts suggest a more integrated, inclusive approach to include trauma in addiction treatment.
While PTSD and addiction treatment can be challenging, it is practical and appropriate to treat them both simultaneously. Until the trauma is addressed, the substance abuse will continue. It is recognized that trauma is one of the possible routes leading to addiction, and every substance abuse behavior has developed a life of its own— with its own memory network. A memory network is thought to be composed of addiction-related memories and behaviors that relate to substance use.
Addiction becomes the way the client uses as a way to avoid, cope, or deal with negative emotions, and experiences, or just to feel something. Working on these painful memories may help to avoid using substances as coping for the addictive person. The 12-step program and other group support can be helpful.
Why CBT Needs Integrative Therapies: The Power of Falling Awake: The Fun™ Guide to EMDR, Brainspotting, and Yoga Nidra for Trauma and Self-Regulation
EMDR Professional Training
EMDR Certification
EMDR Therapy Tools
Yoga Nidra, Breathwork, Tapping (EFT), and Butterfly Hug: Self-Care Options During Times of Disaster and Extreme Stress
EMDR Resourcing Tools
EMDR for Grief
EMDR and Brainspotting
