Orlando Therapist Explains How EMDR Transforms Your Life by Alleviating PTSD Symptoms
Orlando Therapist Explains How EMDR Transforms Your Life by Alleviating PTSD Symptoms
Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC
Have you gone through a traumatic or stressful event that has left you dealing with distressing feelings and memories? Are you easily triggered, swamped by discomfort, dread, or anxiety, or trapped in thought and behavior patterns that drain you emotionally and physically? Have you been withdrawing from family and friends and avoiding social interactions because you are afraid anything may trigger a painful memory or a panic attack?
At Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, we understand how these experiences must be difficult and isolating.
But you're not alone in feeling this way. Such experiences may happen as our nervous system attempts to regain balance and safety following trauma. So, understanding how your mind and body react to stress is the first step toward healing trauma and alleviating PTSD symptoms.
Understanding PTSD
Being exposed to a traumatic event doesn't necessarily mean that you will develop post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. However, if you often relive the trauma through emotional and somatic flashbacks, have nightmares, experience severe anxiety, or struggle with uncontrollable disturbing thoughts about the event, you might benefit from seeking help from a trauma therapist.
PTSD is a complex emotional, cognitive, and physical response to a severely unsettling event that a person experiences directly or witnesses. Traumatic events can include:
Sexual assault
Natural disaster
Ongoing abuse or domestic violence
Being the victim of human trafficking
A potentially fatal medical diagnosis
A violent death of a loved one
Combat living in a war-torn region
A severe vehicle accident, etc.
How PTSD Symptoms Impact Your Daily Life and Relationships
PTSD symptoms can be draining and overwhelming, significantly disrupting your daily life and making it difficult to function normally at work or in social settings. You may spend nights tossing and turning in bed or have trouble focusing on even the most basic tasks. Every day, you may wake up tired from a night of nightmares. You may feel on edge, constantly searching your surroundings for potential threats, even if your mind knows you are safe. Simple activities, like going to the mall or having a coffee with a friend, can cause severe anxiety and panic. Flashbacks can transport you back to a traumatic event in an instant, making it challenging to stay focused on the present.
Living with PTSD can make it hard to connect with friends and family who might not understand your challenges. You might struggle with intimacy as your body remembers trauma, which can make intimate moments overwhelming and unbearable. You may shut down and withdraw despite needing your partner’s closeness and comfort. This can result in feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy.
You may have difficulty focusing or feeling motivated at work, as you feel constantly exhausted. In addition, your self-esteem may suffer as you deal with emotions of inadequacy and shame. Such an emotional toll can make maintaining a sense of normalcy and connection with others challenging.
Therapy, mainly specialized approaches like EMDR, can provide the necessary support and techniques to process and heal from trauma. EMDR at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando helps process and reframe traumatic memories, promoting healing and recovery for those experiencing the overwhelming impact of trauma.
Healing PTSD Symptoms with EMDR Trauma Therapy in Orlando
Trauma activates the autonomic nervous system, leading to a flight or freeze response that, if chronically stimulated, becomes maladaptive. So, when memories of trauma unexpectedly resurface, causing you to feel triggered and overwhelmed, this constant sense of impending doom triggers the body's stress response, unable to distinguish between real and imagined threats. EMDR trauma therapy allows the body and mind to process and heal from traumatic experiences. As an Orlando trauma therapist, I use EMDR to help clients effectively manage and overcome PTSD symptoms.
EMDR Relieves PTSD Symptoms
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is a structured and evidence-based therapeutic approach that helps people reprocess and recall stressful events without causing emotional distress. According to the research behind EMDR, simultaneous stimulation may help the brain deal with painful memories similarly to processing information during the REM stage of sleep.
Throughout the eight phases of the EMDR process (history taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and re-evaluation), your Orlando therapist will guide you through recalling distressing memories while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation, such as side-to-side eye movements, taps, or sounds.
EMDR helps rebuild the connections between neurons, allowing your brain to function better by changing how traumatic memories are stored. The idea is that painful memories can alter your brain, and EMDR therapy focuses on the distressing thoughts and feelings that come up after a traumatic event instead of focusing on the event itself.
By reframing traumatic memories, EMDR allows the brain to place them from a different perspective, making them less triggering and distressing.
For someone who lives with PTSD, daily living can be challenging since intense memories and overwhelming emotions dominate everything else. We understand how it can feel isolating and exhausting to face these struggles alone, but it doesn't have to be this way. There is guidance and support available.
EMDR Therapy at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando focuses on reprocessing traumatic memories using bilateral stimulation, which reduces the emotional impact and frequency of PTSD symptoms. As a trauma therapist, I help clients overcome negative self-perceptions and critical thoughts so common among those with PTSD. Together, we develop healthier coping mechanisms for managing emotional and physical distress. I will guide you to integrate techniques like guided meditation, deep breathing, and mindfulness into your daily routine to improve resilience and overall well-being.
Interested in How Therapy Orlando Helps?
While overwhelming, trauma doesn't define you. Contact us today to schedule a session and start developing greater resilience and well-being.
Fill out our New Client Consultation Form
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Begin your healing journey!
Still Thinking About Orlando Therapy?
We have an amazing team of qualified therapists ready to help alleviate your PTSD symptoms. We understand that you might have some questions before reaching out or just need more time to think about it. In the meantime, please read our resources below.
Additional Orlando Therapy Resources
Overcoming Performance Anxiety with EMDR Therapy
Orlando Therapist Explains How EMDR Therapy Works
Orlando Therapist: Understanding Therapy Jargon
EMDR Therapy: Healing the Unspoken
Is EMDR Therapy Right for You?
Orlando Therapist Answers the Question - What is EMDR Therapy?
Orlando Therapist Explains What to Expect in EMDR Therapy
Other Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando
We understand that coping with PTSD can present significant challenges, and we are here to support you through this journey. We also acknowledge that you may be encountering other obstacles, and we are prepared to assist with those as well. This is why we provide a wide range of therapy services including Trauma Therapy, Anxiety Therapy, and Teen Therapy, as well as Guided Meditations.
About Orlando Therapist: Lauran Hahn
Lauran Hahn, LMHC, is an Orlando-based therapist who specializes in helping clients who are struggling with anxiety, trauma, and healing from toxic relationships. Lauran is also a Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist, a Certified EMDR Therapist, and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, providing EMDR intensives. It's Lauran's goal to help her clients feel calm in their bodies, at peace in their minds, and connected in their relationships.
When Lauran isn’t seeing clients, she enjoys spending quality time with her loved ones, going on long runs, and recharging by relaxing on the beach. These activities bring balance to her life and provide the tranquility and fulfillment.