EMDR FAQ
(everything you wanted to know and then some!)
- Low self worth/self esteem/negative self image
- Anxiety and Panic
- Phobias & Fears
- PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
- Complex Trauma (multiple traumatic events)
- Traumas from Childhood (including Physical, Sexual, Emotional Abuse & Neglect)
- Negative experiences from being in a natural disaster
- Negative experiences from things like: Assaults (Physical Assault, Sexual Assault, Rape), Car Accidents, Witnessing a Violent event, Injuries
- Worry
- Anger Issues
- Performance Anxiety (including public speaking)
- Problems with sleeping if this appears to be related to a core issue (like something in this list)
- Perfectionism
- Depression (if it is connected to a negative belief system)
I’m sharing this link from EMDR Institute, Inc. that does a pretty good job about giving more detail about what EMDR. Also, this info can be a little overwhelming to understand at times, so this is just if you want ‘a little extra’. Please feel free to ask me any questions about what you read.
Scroll down to the section called “For Laypeople”
Link for Non-Randomized Clinical Trials
https://emdria.site-ym.com/page/NonRandomized
Neurobiologial aspects of EMDR
https://emdria.site-ym.com/page/Neurobiological
Randomized Clinical Trials
https://emdria.site-ym.com/page/Randomized
Combat Trauma
https://emdria.site-ym.com/page/CombatTrauma
Meta-Analyses
https://emdria.site-ym.com/page/MetaAnalyses
Most people see me once a week until we are finished working on the goals they wanted to achieve.
On occasion, people may see me more than once a week, but we can discuss further if you are interested in this frequency.
Occasionally, people will see me for a larger chunk of time in one session. Because insurance does not cover these longer sessions, people usually opt to pay out of pocket if they desire longer than typical sessions for their goals.
No, it is the same cost as a typical therapy session. You just pay your normal session fee (or co-pay if using accepted insurances) that is listed on our site.
Not typically. Some people report feeling a little tired after a session. Some report feeling energized and some people see no change in energy.
I tend to hear feedback that people feel more improved with EMDR than with other therapies for addressing the same issue. I regularly hear something like “wow, I’ve been in therapy for years (or several different times) and logically I knew how to think differently about it, but now I actually believe what I always wanted to believe (and feel).”
If a person is working on a single negative event (or trauma), very often this can be resolved in 1-3 sessions.
When a person has years of built up trauma or negative experiences, a person will likely need more sessions to address these issues than if someone is coming in to address a single incident.
Very often, even before we have finished working on an issue, a person will start to feel a little better when addressing a particular problem.
The short answer is no. The slightly longer answer is that the first 1-3 sessions are part of the assessment phase of therapy. This is for you to tell me a little about yourself, briefly share about some of the symptoms you would like to improve, share what been helpful (or not) in your life to work on the problem. Also, I will typically have a couple of specific assessments that I use to help me understand a little more about your functioning so that we can prepare for EMDR.
This link is from EMDR Institute, Inc. Scroll midway down the page to find the 8 phases listed. This is a lot of detail, so feel free to discuss further with me if you have questions.
No. I am not trained in hypnosis, but therapists that are trained in hypnosis state that the two are very different. A person going through EMDR is fully awake and in control throughout the process. In fact, part of the phases as described above, include teaching a person different skills to use to better equip them with EMDR. At anytime during EMDR, we can pause and use at least one skill to bring the intensity down if things are becoming way too uncomfortable (for the client).
Three of our therapists (Marlena, Alyssa & Laura) have a minimum of Level I and Level II (Advanced) EMDR training in EMDR by EMDRIA.
All three therapists continue to have training (or CEU's) in EMDR by EMDRIA certified therapists.
Laura has a certification in EMDR, which means that she has also received additional paid consultation from EMDR Certified therapists.
Becoming EMDR-Certified is not necessarily an indication that one therapist is 'better' than the other - it may just mean that the particular therapist paid for structured consultation in addition to their continuing education and client hours. There are many excellent therapists (like Alyssa & Marlena) regularly utilizing EMDR - that are not certified.