What to Expect from EMDR therapy in Tampa

What to Expect from EMDR Therapy in Tampa Florida

So you're ready for a change. You found EMDR therapy and think that it might be the right path for you. You set out to find a therapist, and you've found a few that specialize in EMDR therapy in your area or offer virtual therapy. Maybe now you're wondering, What can I expect from EMDR therapy? I'm here to reassure you; it's completely normal to wonder what in the world is going to happen in therapy. After all, we have these perceptions and see therapy represented in the media, but what happens in real life?

It's normal to wonder and even have some anxiety about this, as reaching out for help can be scary and often challenging. I want to pause here and take a second to encourage you to come to a place where you are open and searching for the next step, it takes courage, and it's pretty awesome that you are accepting those steps for yourself.

Here are some common questions I hear about EMDR therapy and questions people often ask, with or without anxiety. 

What sets EMDR therapy apart from Talk Therapy?

I want to preface this with the fact that every clinician is a little different. We all have different styles and preferences and have learned the same modality in different ways, so EMDR with one clinician may look slightly different from a second clinician. This is why I am such a fan of free consultations! You chat with a therapist and ask about their style and get a feel for if you feel comfortable with them. 

EMDR therapy is different from Talk Therapy as it uses a blend of conversation and eye movements. These eye movements help stimulate the brain's working memory so we can process memories stored in ways that aren't super healthy. When trauma or just not-so-happy life stuff happens, our brains hold the memory in our bodies, emotions and this impacts our choices and actions. When these things happen, we often don't have the information we need to store the information in a healthy, adaptive way. For example, the 17-year-old driving in the snow for the first time spins out on the highway might internalize that he spun out as his fault and that he isn't safe driving in the snow. That memory was stored the only way it could be at the time with the information he had. EMDR uses eye movements similar to what our eyes naturally do in the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep stage, the sleep pattern that helps you process things troubling you. Have you ever woken up after a night's sleep, knowing you never got that deep REM sleep and felt exhausted? Your brain didn't get to process the way it needed to naturally, and so you might wake up feeling unrested or like it's just Part 2 of the day before!

What will I be doing in an EMDR therapy session?

I can share from my perspective what EMDR therapy is like with me. For the first few sessions, I'm getting to know you as a person, where you're at, where you want to see yourself in 3 months or 6 months, or however many months down the road. In these sessions, we can use EMDR to help strengthen some of the resources you already have within you. Once we both feel like you have your feet underneath you and resources feel steady as we process the not-so-fun stuff, we can start work to put together a timeline of both positive and not-so-positive life events that you think have impacted you. We use eye movements to process the negative and help your brain breakthrough blocks so you can live a healthier life! Quite literally, this method helps our brains to find healthier, more adaptive ways of looking at the messages we've gotten from friends, family, experiences, and life so we don't have to stay stuck in the past muck but can move forward into a life we want.

Is EMDR like Hypnosis?

I hear this question A LOT. And actually, they are very different. Hypnosis involves putting the person into a trance-like state, whereas, with EMDR, you are encouraged to stay in awareness. When you're doing EMDR with a clinician, it's sort of like you are watching a movie play out of memory. As you watch the movie, you have thoughts, feelings, and even body sensations come up. You want to have one foot in that memory to be able to see and feel it, but you also want the other foot in the room with the therapist, so you can convey what you're observing, how your body feels, what emotions are coming up, or what thoughts are there. So, in short, they are very different.

I hope this was helpful as you search to find the right EMDR therapist in Tampa for you. If you're still trying to figure out this whole finding a therapist thing, please feel free to give me a call at (813)738-3600. I would be happy to hear what's going on and direct you to the right person if I am not that person.