It’s never easy to cope with trauma. Many people struggle with feelings of guilt, shame, fear, or panic when they think about their trauma, and it can be incredibly debilitating. There are various ways to work through and treat trauma, and research shows that many types of therapy are effective in treating symptoms of trauma and PTSD.
Over the years, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has been highly successful for trauma survivors. While EMDR therapy typically happens in an office setting, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted many in-person activities to an online setting. Fortunately, EMDR therapy can successfully happen online — keep reading to learn more about how it works.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
Before we explore how online EMDR therapy works, you should know more details about EMDR itself. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR, therapy effectively treats many mental health issues, including PTSD, anxiety, traumatic memories, and even OCD or phobias.
EMDR therapy uses eye movements or back-and-forth motions or sounds while you think about a traumatic event or memory. The movements help your brain shift how you think about or perceive distressing memories.
How Online EMDR Therapy Works
In the past, EMDR therapy was most often done in-person, therapists have worked to shift it to an online platform. Because EMDR relies heavily on eye movements or engaging both sides of the brain, that can translate easily to an online format.
During your online session, your therapist will show you how to use an online tool that provides the bilateral stimulation needed for EMDR therapy. You will either watch something with your eyes, or listen to a sounds to engage both sides of your brain. And, just like you would do in an office, you will recount a traumatic memory.
There are several benefits to having EMDR online, while you are at home. Many people feel more comfortable having therapy sessions in their homes. It’s difficult to recount traumatic memories, but you may find it easier to do at home rather than in an office.
As you feel more relaxed, it will be easier to open up and become more vulnerable. Also, many have found that online therapy is more accessible in general, as it eliminates the need to leave home or travel.
How Online EMDR Therapy Helps with Trauma
While EMDR can treat many anxiety-related issues, it is especially helpful in treating trauma and PTSD. When you experience a traumatic event, distressing memories may affect you for weeks, months, and years after the fact. The memories may leak into your everyday life, causing panic and distress.
Understandably, it’s difficult to get through life when you are often under distress. While talk therapy and medication often work for some people, others have found that the trauma still lingers.
Because trauma can become all-consuming, EMDR has changed many lives. This form of therapy helps trauma survivors reframe the way their brain processes distressing memories. While a flashback may have once caused panic, EMDR can help you shift this reaction. Not only does EMDR help you reframe traumatic memories, but it also helps you move forward with a sense of calm and control.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way therapy sessions are provided. EMDR sessions have been successful on online platforms, and therapists will only continue to improve their practices. While many people worried that therapy would be less available because of the pandemic, the opposite is true. Therapy is more accessible than ever before, and online EMDR therapy is both effective and successful.
You don’t have to go through life trying to escape your distressing memories. EMDR therapy can help you reframe these memories and find relief in your life. Though the pandemic has shifted some things, your access to therapy isn’t one of them. Consider online EMDR therapy to ease your trauma and distressing memories. Learn more about EMDR therapy here and contact us for a consultation call.
