Is EMDR Therapy right for me?

EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR) THERAPY IS A SPECAILIZED FORM OF PSYCHOTHERAPY DESIGNED TO HELP INDIVIDUALS PROCESS AND HEAL FROM TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES OR SIGNIFICANT LIFE STRESSORS. WHETHER EMDR IS RIGHT FOR YOU DEPENDS ON SEVERAL FACTORS, INFLUDING YOUR SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES, MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS, AND PREFERENCES. HERE ARE SOME CONSIDERATIONS TO HELP YOU DETERMINE IF EMDR MIGHT BE A SUITABLE OPTION FOR YOU:

1. NATURE OF ISSUES: TRAUMA HISTORY: ENDR IS PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA, SUCH AS CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT TRAUMA, ATTACHMENT ISSUES, RELATIONAL TRAUMA, PTSD, ABUSE, ACCIDENTS OR OTHER DISTRESSING EVENTS. PEOPLE OFTEN THINK THAT BECAUSE THE ISSUE OCCURED LONG AGO (INFANCY, CHILDHOOD, ADOLESCENTS OR YOUNG ADULTHOOD) THAT TIME SHOULD TAKE CARE OF IT AND IT SHOULD NO LONGER BE AN ISSUE. UNFORTUNATELY, TIME OFTEN DOESN'TT IMPACT TRAUMA IN A POSITIVE WAY, SO DO NOT BE HESITANT TO TALK TO AN EMDR THERAPIST ABOUT HOW YOU ARE STRUGGLING IN THE PRESENT JUST BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU WAS SO LONG AGO.

ANXIETY, OCD, MOOD DISORDERS SUCH AS DEPRESSION AND PERSONALITY DISORDERS

SUCH AS BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER OR OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER.

2. PREVIOUS THERAPY EXPERIENCES: RESPONSE TO OTHER THERAPIES: IF YOU HAVE TRIED OTHER FORMS OF THERAPY (LIKE COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY) WITHOUTU SATISFACTORY RESULTS, EMDR MAY BE WORTH CONSIDERING.

A QUALIFIED, EMDRIA APPROVED EMDR TRAINED THERAPIST (VISIT EMDRIA.ORG FOR A LIST OF QUALIFIED THERAPISTS IN YOUR AREA) CAN ASSESS YOUR SITUATION AND DETERMINE IF EMDR THERAPY IS APPROPRIATE FOR YOU.