EMDR Therapy in Charleston, SC
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma therapy designed to help people process distressing memories and experiences that continue to affect them in the present. Our EMDR therapists in Charleston, SC use this structured approach to help clients work through trauma in a safe and supportive environment.
EMDR may be helpful for people experiencing intrusive memories, anxiety, emotional distress, avoidance, negative beliefs about themselves, or feeling stuck in the effects of past experiences.
Trauma can affect people in many different ways. Some common experiences include:
- Intrusive memories: unwanted memories, nightmares, or flashbacks
- Avoidance: avoiding people, places, conversations, or situations connected to the experience
- Heightened alertness: feeling constantly on guard, easily startled, or unable to relax
- Changes in mood or thinking: irritability, sadness, difficulty concentrating, negative beliefs, or feeling disconnected
What Happens During EMDR Therapy?
EMDR is a structured therapy that begins with your therapist learning about your history, current symptoms, and goals and determining whether EMDR is an appropriate approach for you.
During EMDR, your therapist may use bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, alternating sounds, or other forms of left-right stimulation, while helping you process distressing memories and the thoughts, emotions, and body sensations connected to them.
Your therapist will also help you develop grounding and coping skills so that the work can move at a pace appropriate for you.
You don’t have to continue feeling controlled by painful experiences from your past. EMDR therapy can help you process what you’ve experienced, reduce the distress connected to those memories, and move forward with greater freedom and confidence.
Our Charleston EMDR therapists would be glad to talk with you about whether EMDR may be a good fit for you.
Want to Learn More About How EMDR Works?
This brief video offers a helpful visual explanation of how EMDR can help the brain process distressing experiences.
EMDR at Steadfast
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy is an evidence- based approach to treating trauma that was developed by Francine Shapiro in the 1980s.
EMDR works by engaging similar brain mechanisms as those that are involved in REM sleep. During REM sleep, the brain processes the memories of the day and files them away for long term storage. Sometimes, when a traumatic or emotionally charged thing happens, it can be hard for the brain to process under normal circumstances. The traumatic experience almost become stuck, waiting to be filed into long term, but can’t get there because it is so sensitive to triggers.
EMDR helps to desensitize the experience so that it can be processed in the brain properly.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy at Steadfast is remarkable and can be a great onramp to healing for many people.