Have you ever wondered what EMDR is and if it can be supportive of your recovery journey? If so, you're in the right place! Elaine Evans is a therapist from Phoenix, Arizona who specializes in EMDR, which is exactly what we’re talking about in this super insightful podcast episode! Elaine has so much wisdom to share on the topic of EMDR for anxiety disorders and trauma, and I know many of you have been interested in this topic as well.
With over ten years of experience, Elaine works with adults who are navigating and healing from trauma, relationship issues, and grief. EMDR is a tool Elaine often uses in her practice, too! I can’t wait to share our conversation with you, so let’s dive in!
EMDR for Anxiety Disorders With Elaine Evans
What is EMDR?
I asked Elaine if she could explain EMDR to us all, and she delivered! For starters, EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization reprocessing. When explaining the process of EMDR, Elaine said “Basically, what we’re doing is we’re stimulating both parts of the brain, both hemispheres. And something about that taps into the way that our brain stores memory and emotional regulation. That process is disrupted when we have an overwhelming experience or trauma. And so in therapy using EMDR, whether it’s with eye movements, or with tapping side to side… simulating a natural process in the brain to then do what we would call reconsolidate that memory”. Essentially, EMDR is all about reprocessing traumatic events so that we can begin to heal from them.
EMDR for Anxiety Disorders
I’ve always had the assumption that EMDR is a tool that is used when someone experiences a trauma. But people are hearing much more about it being used to treat anxiety disorders as well. I asked Elaine how EMDR is used as a treatment for anxiety disorders, and she had so much wisdom to share! She shared that trauma doesn’t necessarily have to be a large event, but rather anything that overwhelms our ability to cope…and I completely agree with this! Elaine mentioned that when these overwhelming experiences happen during a lifetime, we can form anxious responses to try to cope with these events. And when it comes to anxiety disorders EMDR is used to target the anxious response that’s been programmed into our nervous system.
EMDR is typically used to heal from past traumatic events, but Elaine explains that EMDR for anxiety disorders can be applied to future events that we might anticipate and feel anxious about. With the help of a therapist, we can desensitize ourselves to the anxiety of these moments! And with time, these events can become less upsetting than they once were. This is why EMDR can be so helpful for anxiety and phobias! Elaine shared that when it comes to agoraphobia, EMDR can be used to understand how the story was created and desensitize the truth of that story.
EMDR can be an awesome tool to use throughout your recovery journey, as long as it’s done with a trained therapist! If you want to learn more about EMDR, listen to the full podcast episode with Elaine and check out her Instagram! And if you’re looking for some free support throughout my recovery, sign up for my newsletter to receive free, weekly support directly from me.
Don’t forget to tune in to the episode for all of the helpful information! And until next time, friend, keep taking healthy action.
Connect With Elaine!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirdplacetherapy/
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