EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and it is a complete approach designed to help people process and heal from trauma and usually works far more effectively and quickly than simple talk therapy.  As a certified EMDR therapist in the Orange County area, Todd Creager has repeatedly been overjoyed at the effectiveness it has had in helping people who are suffering with PTSD symptoms.  It reduces the symptoms significantly and often gives them a new lease on life.  

Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events.  How we process this information involves communication between the amygdala part of your brain which functions as an alarm signal for stressful events, your hippocampus which helps you with learning, including memories about safety and danger, and the prefrontal cortex of your brain which is responsible for analyzing and controlling your behavior and emotions.

While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not always be processed. Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. 

When you experience distress from a disturbing event and it doesn’t go away, you continue to experience upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions, which in turn may cause you to experience feelings of overwhelm, of being back in that moment, or of being stuck.

EMDR therapy helps your brain get unstuck and to process these memories which in turn gives you the ability to resume normal healing. The traumatic experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response you experienced from the original event is resolved thus freeing you from feeling overwhelmed or stuck playing the traumatic experience over and over again in your head.

How is EMDR different from other therapies? 

EMDR therapy is different from traditional therapy as it does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue, or homework between sessions. 

EMDR, does not focus on changing your emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue or event. Instead, this process allows your brain to resume its natural healing process. EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in your brain. EMDR therapy includes alternating eye movements, sounds, or taps, and for many clients it can be successfully completed in fewer sessions than traditional therapy practices.