EMDR Therapy

EMDR Therapy in Delray Beach, FL (and online)

Have you experienced a traumatic event or events that continue to cause distress or problems functioning?
Have you been to therapy throughout your life yet still feel like you’re not getting at the root of the problem?
Do you have insight into where your issues stem from yet still find yourself stuck in the same, negative patterns?
Have you been wanting to get past your past yet can’t seem to let go of old, painful feelings?

Then EMDR therapy in Delray Beach, FL may be able to help.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is a powerful form of psychotherapy. It was developed to treat trauma and other psychological problems such as:

Anxiety
Depression
Addictions and eating disorders
Chronic pain
Attachment disorders
Community disasters
Panic attacks
Phobias
Self-esteem issues
Performance problems
Grief and mourning
And many others

EMDR therapy has been practiced around the world for over 30 years. It is a widely accepted, “A” level treatment for trauma that comes recommended by organizations that include:

The American Psychiatric Association (APA)
Veterans Administration (VA)
Department of Defense (DoD)
World Health Organization (WHO)
And the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)

EMDR can be very helpful for a multitude of experiences. These may range from the bigger “T” traumas of PTSD to the little “t” experiences which research shows may still have lasting negative impacts on things such as self-esteem and relationships. It is often these experiences of childhood humiliation, rejection, failure, or past hurts that play the biggest role in a client’s dysfunction.

Click here for Mangrove Therapy Group’s view on what is also considered “trauma”.

Some EMDR Concepts

EMDR therapy operates on the premise that memory networks are the basis of dysfunction and health. The client’s current issues are the result of adverse life experiences that become insufficiently-processed and maladaptively-stored memories. In short, when a person experiences trauma, the disturbing memories are dysfunctionally stored in the state they first experienced them. This includes the same images, sounds, thoughts, feelings, body sensations, and even smells. Later, with even the slightest triggering event, you can feel as if you are reliving the event, thus creating significant emotional distress. EMDR therapy uses eye movements and other types of bilateral stimulation to target these “stuck” and dysfunctionally-stored memories to help resolve your issues and get past your past.

The EMDR Therapy Process

The EMDR therapist’s job, with the help of the client, is to figure out which memories are active contributors to the client’s current issue. They use various methods to explore a client’s history and uncover which adverse experiences are at the root of the problem. Once this is done, a plan will be developed to reprocess or “neutralize” these memories.

Other factors are also taken into consideration. This includes the client’s internal resources and coping skills, level of stability, and emotional window of tolerance. The therapist works with the client to teach relaxation, grounding, and other coping skills. Together, they work to help bolster the ability to revisit these old experiences.

During EMDR therapy, the clinician leads a client in a series of side-to-side eye movements or other types of bilateral stimulation such as tactile (tapping) or auditory (bilateral sounds). At the same time, the client focuses on various aspects of a disturbing memory. During this procedure, clients reprocess the memory often in a positive and rapid way, leading to a peaceful resolution.

Many therapists facilitate a client’s eye movements by having them follow their fingers back and forth. However, various technologies now exist to help facilitate this bilateral stimulation. Below is a picture of a lightbar made by NeuroTek, one tool we use at Mangrove Therapy Group.

EMDR at Mangrove Therapy Group

There are many clinicians out there who have been trained at some point in EMDR but may have only practiced it rarely (if at all), or a long time ago. At Mangrove Therapy Group, we have advanced training and experience with EMDR therapy and use it extensively in our practice. Brian Gong, one of our practice’s founders, first decided to get trained in EMDR years ago when he realized that traditional “talk therapy” wasn’t cutting it for many of his clients.

These clients remained stuck in unhealthy patterns despite having so much self-awareness and having gone to therapy for years. Clients would have a ton of insight into the origins of their issues, yet their behaviors, feelings, or beliefs weren’t changing. EMDR has been a game-changer in creating major shifts toward growth and healing. The research that exists on EMDR therapy is compelling, and the therapeutic changes our team has seen in using EMDR have been amazing!

Can EMDR Occur Online?

Yessssss! Doing EMDR therapy over the computer used to be considered taboo at one point until the pandemic hit. Then, every EMDR therapist in the world had to figure out a way to provide this healing psychotherapy to those in need but from a distance. And the results have been excellent. Some considerations may need to occur when using a virtual format. But, some people actually prefer it this way. With online EMDR therapy, they can work on these disturbing memories from the comfort and safety of their own home. In fact, there are even programs that can be used where a clinician can control a small dot that goes back and forth across the client’s computer screen.

Issues we’ve Treated with EMDR Therapy at Mangrove Therapy Group:

Sexual trauma including abuse, rape, and incest
Death and complicated grieving
Bullying, exclusion, and peer conflict/rejection
Neglect, abandonment, and attachment wounds
Codependency, relationship insecurities, and feeling overly responsible for other people and their emotions
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
Dissociative Disorders including DID
Personality Disorders
Depression
Childhood physical, verbal, and emotional abuse
Domestic and intimate partner violence
Breakups and “unrequited love”
Prison experiences
Anxiety including phobias and social anxiety
Military and veterans issues including combat, moral injury, survivor’s guilt
Oppositional defiance
First responder job-related trauma
Car accidents
Infidelity and betrayal, including organizational betrayal
Medical trauma and physical injury
Natural disasters such as tornados and hurricanes
Toxic shame / Pervasive negative beliefs about oneself, feelings of defectiveness, hyper-critical of self
Anger issues
Addictions and compulsive behaviors
Chronic pain
Performance anxiety/performance enhancement
Perfectionism and “unrelenting standards”
Shooting survivors and mass casualty events
Discovering people injured, deceased, or overdosed

Short Videos on EMDR Therapy

Excellent EMDR animated video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNN1lQ-AHoo

Another EMDR animated video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIJZQAr9nQo

Mangrove Blog Posts on EMDR

Extensive Research on EMDR

You can click here for a PDF of EMDR research compiled by Trauma Recovery/HAP.

Feel free to click here for a link to the Francine Shapiro Library which has a growing collection of materials on trauma and EMDR theory practice and history.

Feel free to also click here for a compilation of recent EMDR research by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)

Click here for SAMHSA’s information resource on EMDR Therapy.

Schedule an Appointment for EMDR Therapy in Palm Beach County, FL

At Mangrove Therapy Group, we believe it’s possible for you to feel better and get past your difficulties. Our team of trained EMDR therapists is ready to support you in overcoming past trauma. We would be honored to support you both in-person and online. To start your therapy journey, please follow these simple steps:

Contact Mangrove Therapy
Meet with a caring therapist
Start overcoming past trauma!

Other Services Offered with Mangrove Therapy Group

EMDR therapy isn’t the only service our team offers at our Delray Beach, FL-based practice. Our therapists are experts in treating trauma and PTSD/C-PTSD, substance use disorders, eating disorders, body image issues, anger management, anxiety, low self-esteem, and much more. Please feel free to learn more about how we can support you. We also offer support with addictions such as in processing addictions, grief and loss, personality disorders, “Failure to Launch” syndrome, CBT, and DBT. Feel free to learn more by visiting our blog or FAQ page to learn more today!

Let’s get to work!

Contact