EMDR Therapy in Aventura, Florida

EMDR Therapy near Aventura, Hallandale, Hollywood, North Miami Beach, Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour, and Miami, Florida!

What is EMDR Therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or “EMDR” is an evidenced-based trauma therapy that uses eye movement and bilateral stimulation to treat a variety of mental health conditions including trauma/PTSD, anxiety, phobias, grief, self-esteem, and relationship issues.

In EMDR therapy, the therapist helps the client identify the core emotions/beliefs that are impacting them. These beliefs may have developed during an upsetting/traumatic episode in childhood or other life experiences. During EMDR, the therapist guides the client in targeting those beliefs using a strength-based approach towards healing.

The Phases of EMDR

EMDR has 8 total phases, but can be looked at in 3 stages.

The first stage is “preparation-resourcing.” In this stage we prepare for EMDR processing by creating a calm, healing presence in the therapy space. This is done through education about EMDR and applying calming techniques to create the healing space. This is done in a gentle manner, as is all of trauma-informed therapy. In this stage we also teach how to connect emotionally to the more positive, helpful feelings of the past. It is important that we connect to the positive feelings inside of us before trying to process trauma, because we can only move towards healing in a direction that we have been before.

When client and therapist feel ready, we will then transition to stage two of “processing.” This is where we target the more difficult emotions of trauma therapy that we are looking to process out. We will start usually with more recent, less traumatic feelings and work back in a gentle way at a pace that feels comfortable for you. This can take one or more sessions depending on the material being processed. Once the memory/feeling is no longer upsetting we will move on to stage three of integration.

Stage three is “integration” of the new more helpful feelings. When we have found a place of healing for the past, we will integrate the more helpful feelings created into its place for the future. This can also be a time for reflection of the EMDR process and what the person is looking for from life moving forward.

Towards a Brighter Future

The EMDR process taps into the innate capacity of the human being to heal. It allows the brain to integrate the traumatic material of past into a cohesive story so it is no longer emotionally charged and interfering with our day to day life. It allows us to create new more helpful beliefs and builds on our past strengths towards a brighter future.

Mendel Toron, LCSW, CCTP, EMDR is an EMDR certified therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional specializing in EMDR & Trauma therapy in Aventura Florida. If you are interested in trying out EMDR therapy, please schedule a free consultation via the link below. In the consultation, we will discuss your goals for treatment and see if EMDR is a good fit for you.