Types of Counseling: What is EMDR?
Therapist Shares information on EMDR Therapy Orlando
You’re panicked. You can’t think straight. You’re having a hard time feeling settled. You know you need help, but you’re not sure what type of counseling you need. You’ve been in therapy and talked about this already, but you are still triggered and bothered.
As a trauma and anxiety therapist providing counseling in Orlando, many of my clients have had this experience. So many people are relieved when I tell them about other types of counseling that go beyond talk therapy, that heal from the roots.
As an EMDR therapist in Orlando, I know working at the root level requires a different approach than simply rehashing the past.
Getting to the Roots
Root work insists on a mindful and experiential approach that meets with the mapmaker where the wound began. What do I even mean by that? When difficult things happen in the past, they can get stored in our brains and bodies with a specific constellation of beliefs, emotions, body sensations, images, muscular tone, and five-sense perception. Rootwork means going back and unlocking all of this at the origin.
Before I jump right in, though, it’s important to point out that many clients don’t exactly know the “mapmaker” or the origin of the issues until we uncover these places in the “history-taking” phase of therapy. This phase is a sort of excavating time, where I am looking for the roots or the mapmaker.
In this blog post, I explain how using EMDR therapy in counseling is one way of doing the root work I mentioned above. In my next post, I will offer an explanation of using other “bottom-up” approaches to get to the roots, as well.
Your Brain as a Filing System
Let’s imagine your brain is a computer filing system of beliefs, beliefs about yourself and the world. When it comes to filing things, the brain has two options. It can file things in a healthy adaptive way, where life’s events are coded as neutral or positive. Or the brain can file life’s events in a limiting way, where events are stored as negative beliefs about self or the world. Internally, there are two filing cabinets: Positive/Neutral and Negative/Limited.
Positive/Neutral File
When things go well or smoothly, the system files life events in a healthy and adaptive way in the filing cabinet Positive/Neutral. For example, “I am a good enough person.” “I am capable.” “I am loving.” “I can count on others.” All the other aspects of these memories, the emotions and body sensations, fit with those positive or neutral beliefs and life moves along. All systems are running smoothly and everything seems to line up.
Next, let’s say a difficult event happens like you make a mistake at work and get embarrassed. You leave work that day and you’re having thoughts like, “Oh man, I suck.” You feel awkward and uncomfortable. You go home, work out, go to bed, and sleep it off. The next day, you wake up and it’s not as intense. You’re actually able to tell yourself, “I made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. I can learn from this mistake.” And now, you don’t feel so uneasy anymore. In this case, your brain and your body are doing the work to process this difficult event in an adaptive and healthy way. Even though it was difficult at the time, nothing got stuck or fragmented. You were naturally able to work through the emotions and body sensations, and eventually file the event under the Positive/Neutral filing cabinet in the file labeled “I am good enough.”
Negative/Limited File
Now, let’s say something REALLY disturbing or overwhelming happens or a series of alarming events happen. The brain has a more difficult time naturally processing these challenging things and filing the event in the Positive/Neutral filing cabinet. These events seem to get stuck in the negative belief filing system. Some examples are “I am not safe,” “I am not good enough.” or “I can’t trust anyone.” Other aspects of memory that include emotions, images, body sensations, muscular tone, and the five senses can get fragmented and frozen in time. Then anything that reminds your brain of any aspect of the event creates a feedback loop that reinforces the negative belief about yourself or the world.
How EMDR Therapy Helps
When explaining how EMDR Therapy works, I like to use the analogy of defragging a computer file. I realize the term “defragging” dates me back to the days of dial-up AOL, and not all of my readers are from the days of “You have mail.” So, other terms that have the same meaning are optimizing, updating, or cleaning up the computer file. Through the process of EMDR Therapy, the files that are stored in the Negative/Limited filing cabinet get defragmented and refiled in the healthy filing cabinet of Positive/Neutral.
EMDR Therapy intentionally identifies the negative belief that the memory is filed under and locates the positive or neutral file my client would like this memory to be filed under. Through bilateral stimulation and mindfully attending to all the other aspects of the memory, the defragmentation process occurs allowing the file to be placed in the adaptive or healthy filing cabinet of Positive/Neutral.
If you’ve been in regular talk therapy in the past and have not gotten the results you are hoping for, you may want to consider seeing an EMDR therapist that will help get to the roots of the issues that brought you to therapy.
Ready to Start EMDR therapy Orlando?
At Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, all of our therapists are trained in EMDR Therapy, as we specialize in trauma, anxiety, and healing toxic relationship patterns.
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Maybe You’re Not Quite Ready for EMDR Therapy Orlando.
Our highly trained team will help you gain tools that will help you overcome any anxiety may be feeling to help you navigate life again. If you’re not ready, we understand. Take all the time you need and reach out when you’re ready.
Additional Resources for EMDR Therapy By Orlando Therapist
Orlando Therapist Explains How EMDR Therapy Works
Orlando Therapist Explains What to Expect in EMDR Therapy
Is EMDR Therapy Right for You?
Other Trauma Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando, FL
Our therapists understand that EMDR may not be the only therapy you’re seeking. That’s ok. We offer a variety of therapy services at Mindful Living Counseling which include Trauma Therapy, Anxiety Therapy, Eating Disorder Therapy, Toxic Relationship Therapy, and Teen Therapy. We encourage everyone to check out our Guided Meditations.
About the Owner of Mindful Living Counseling
As an Orlando Therapist, Lauran Hahn, LMHC, specializes in working with clients struggling with anxiety. She also specializes in boundaries and supporting her clients in healing from toxic relationships. Lauran works to help her clients feel calm in their bodies, at peace in their minds, and connected in relationships.
