EMDR Therapy in Pennsylvania: Your Path to Recovery

EMDR therapy at MPower Wellness is a one-on-one session with a trained psychotherapist, typically done once or twice a week.

One of our qualified EMDR practitioners will assess your past memories, trauma, and painful events that may contribute to intense emotional responses. They will then provide guidance on how you can reduce your current triggers. Additionally, you will work on negative beliefs which are at the core of your struggle with addiction, and you will discover new ways of thinking – think of it as repackaging a memory.

Trauma, such as sexual assault, distressing life experiences, anxiety, or living with a negative memory of past disturbing events, can sometimes become “stuck” in the brain without ever being fully processed.

Such memories can leave you with vivid memories, active triggers, and strong emotions long after the traumatic events have passed. Through EMDR sessions, you will regain control over your life, and you will turn to healthier thinking alternatives, replacing any urge to self-medicate to suppress the pain from past disturbing experiences.

EMDR therapy is widely recognized by organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization, and research shows that eye movement desensitization techniques often lead to significant improvement in symptoms of PTSD.

This makes it a popular choice among individuals who are battling with the emotional distress of different types of addiction, with little or no response to other types of psychotherapy.

EMDR therapy is a proven method to work through past traumas and address the underlying cause of conditions, such as addiction.

People report many benefits, such as:

• Overcoming post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
• EMDR provides a safe environment for healing from addiction, learning how to cope with urges, and understanding what void self-medicating is trying to fill.
• Individuals also report noticing improvement in self-esteem issues and chronic pain, as well as gaining new perspectives and relief from old triggers.

The goal of EMDR treatment is to help individuals heal from trauma and regain control of their lives.

For people struggling with addiction, this is particularly important, as changing the emotional response to a distressing experience can reduce its negative impact, which results in a healthier coping mechanism and a renewed sense of self-control.

EMDR therapy can be used in conjunction with other forms of therapy, such as individual therapy, exposure therapy, and internal family systems.

Under proper guidance from a qualified mental health professional, you will go through a unique psychotherapeutic session. These are the eight phases that EMDR therapy consists of:

• History: Your therapist will learn more about your background, trauma, or addiction history, and will help you to identify core negative beliefs and active triggers.
• Preparation: Your therapist will then explain EMDR to you, so that you feel safe in what to expect.
• Assessment: You choose a memory, or a series of memories, to work on – often those at the core of your trauma. Once you have your target memory, you will, under guidance, identify its worst part, as well as the negative belief attached to it (e.g. “I am powerless”), and your desired positive belief (e.g. “I am in control”).
• Desensitization: While focusing on your memory, you will engage in bilateral stimulation. This can be side-to-side eye movements, feeling taps, or listening to certain sounds. You will go through repeated sets of this until the memory feels less disturbing.
• Installation: You will focus on building up the positive belief you identified earlier and you will repeat the rapid eye movements with that belief in mind.
• Body scan: You will mentally revisit the target memory whilst noticing your body sensations, acknowledging that any discomfort signals distressing thoughts that still haven’t been adequately processed.
• Closure: Each session will end with stress reduction techniques, so that you don’t leave raw or unsettled, or burdened by other memories which may have come up, and each next session will build upon the progress you’ve made previously.

Now, you may wonder what exactly you can expect from EMDR therapy. That largely depends on your specific needs. Here is a summary of what happens:

• A session (typically 60-90 minutes) begins with identifying core traumatic memories. You will talk about when they initially developed, how they have impacted you (such as disturbing experiences producing emotions, physical sensations, or other symptoms).
• During the session, your therapist will help you process the trauma. Think of this as changing the way it lives in your brain. Through engaging with the bilateral stimulation part of the session, you and your therapist work together to reduce the trauma’s emotional impact. That way, the natural healing process develops and stays on a steady track.

If you step into this journey with readiness, willingness, and dedication, you can expect to feel a sense of relief – and the results you hope for start to become your reality.

EMDR, although a powerful therapeutic technique, is sometimes not appropriate for everyone – or at least not right away. You may still need time to discover the coping skills that work for you, stabilize your mental health, or simply feel safe before you embark on the journey of reprocessing work.

One important factor to consider is active substance use. If you are actively using, or you are unable to stay sober during sessions, the effectiveness of EMDR may be reduced.

EMDR can be a very helpful tool in recovery, but usually after some stabilization first.

Other examples of when EMDR may not be appropriate are:

• Very unstable mental health (active crises, such as psychosis or mania).
• Unmanaged medical conditions (uncontrolled seizures, heart conditions).
• Severe cognitive impairment (active dementia, severe intellectual disabilities).
• High risk of self-harm.

EMDR is a highly reliable therapeutic approach for many mental health conditions, but we understand that the timing and approach really matter for your healing. With the right support from our qualified practitioners, EMDR can be life-changing. Many people who were initially unsure about trying it have reported that, with patience and guidance, they were able to process the pain from the past, and move forward with a renewed sense of freedom and control over their lives.

Most importantly, EMDR is a process of collaboration. You must be ready and willing – that is when it’s most effective. At MPower Wellness, we walk with you at your own pace. We will provide all the necessary guidance and support, and when you feel prepared, EMDR can open the door to a life free of pain, a life free of addiction.

We understand that you may find EMDR therapy sessions a bit daunting, and you may be wondering if you could do EMDR on yourself. The answer to that is – no, typically you should not attempt to do this alone.

EMDR involves bringing up intense distressing memories, traumatic events, and difficult emotions. Without the presence of a qualified therapist, you may end up re-traumatizing yourself.

A therapist knows how to implement the eight phases of EMDR. Skipping any one of those phases can result in destabilization of your mental and emotional states.

Our therapists are here to support you. Without that support, you may enter states of dissociation, or you may experience difficulty grounding yourself if things get too intense – and that will be a setback in your recovery journey.

To prepare for your EMDR therapy journey, you’ll start with an in-depth assessment and a plan to follow during your treatment process. Your therapist will work with you throughout the treatment planning to find out what your specific needs are, and will then develop a personalized approach for your sessions.

Something you can do to help the process and make the most out of EMDR is to keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings. Being mindful of your emotional state, and caring for it by practicing relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, will also be beneficial for your recovery.

Trauma can profoundly impact every facet of your life. EMDR therapy involves “unlocking” those traumatic memories which cause you distress, reprocessing them, and relinking them with present safety.

You will not forget the memories, but you will become able to recall them with less pain. This is particularly beneficial if you are recovering from addiction, where self-medicating is utilized to suppress the pain from the past. The trauma and emotional distress associated with it will begin to lift, and the negative beliefs will be replaced with healthier ones.

Insurance coverage for EMDR varies, and depends on your specific policy. There are many insurance providers in Pennsylvania which can cover your EMDR therapy as a treatment for PTSD and other trauma-related conditions.

To be certain of this, you must check with your insurance provider in order to find out the extent of your coverage. This will help you make an informed decision about your treatment options.