EMDR therapy in New York City
A modern approach to ease the stress of past trauma and take back control of your present.
What is EMDR?
EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. This proven, science-backed therapy is a powerful treatment for psychological stress. You may benefit from EMDR if you experience flashbacks, fears, or persistent sleep problems due to trauma or an adverse experience.
EMDR helps you feel calmer and more empowered by reprocessing your trauma or feelings to reduce their impact on your quality of life. Over time, the upsetting thoughts and images attached to painful experiences will lose their emotional power.
During treatment, you’ll discuss your challenging thoughts and memories with a certified EMDR therapist while moving your eyes back and forth, left to right. Your therapist will use tools, such as a special EMDR light, to help train your eyes. EMDR therapy can be practiced in person or remotely.
The phases of EMDR treatment
Your EMDR therapy sessions will fall into different phases of treatment, gently guided by your therapist. You can expect to schedule a series of visits to address complex PTSD or other mental health disorders.
Preparation
During the initial phase, our EMDR therapist reviews your physical and mental health history. Together, you will discuss your trauma or presenting issue and identify specific memories or symptoms you wish to treat. You’ll learn coping mechanisms and self-care strategies that help you respond better to your emotions and stressors.
Desensitization & Installation
In treatment, you will learn to think about negative memories or triggers. The goal is to reduce the level of reactivity you have to these targets. For example, your therapist might ask you to focus on a negative thought and do specific eye movements at the same time. After you complete the exercise, your therapist asks you to become aware of how you feel and what you’re thinking. Next, they’ll evaluate how you respond. If you still experience distress, you can continue focusing on that trigger or move on to another. You’ll also strengthen the positive thoughts that are replacing formerly negative cognitions.
Closure
Typically, you need 12 sessions or more to regain control over your psychological response to triggering events. Our elite team of EMDR therapists customize your therapy plan based on your unique needs and the type of trauma you’re treating.
Frequently asked questions.
During your EMDR therapy session, your Healthy Minds NYC therapist asks you to discuss triggering events in your life. As you relay these traumatic experiences, they direct your eye movements.
The goal of EMDR therapy is to divert your attention elsewhere while you recall emotionally upsetting events or situations. This helps to reduce your strong psychological response to the trauma and can lessen the impact your triggering memories have on you mentally and emotionally.
Yes–EMDR can be done virtually at Healthy Minds NYC so you can participate in this powerful therapy approach from the comfort of your home or office.
Yes–and EMDR is also an effective form of treatment for other mental health disorders like anxiety, grief, panic attacks, phobias, and more. You may have insight about your life story, but it feels like your body still remembers the trauma or causes reactions you can’t control. EMDR helps your brain reprocess unresolved trauma so you can stop feeling stuck.
