Since the 1980s, counselors have been using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) for clients who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related disorders. With the immense success it's had in studies, Masha Sorkin, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker of Masha Sorkin & Associates, serving Brookline, Massachusetts, and the rest of the state as well as Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. through virtual visits, is proud to incorporate it into treatment plans.
What's EMDR?
Like with many other forms of therapy, Masha will want to know your treatment goals and some of your history before determining if it’s right for you. For EMDR, she will also need to know some things about the memory you want to reprocess. Keep in mind that it doesn't have to be recent trauma that’s causing your problems. It can date back to your childhood. Moreover, what is traumatic for one person might not be traumatic to another, so Masha encourages you not to judge what you’re feeling.
Once your mental health specialist can target the problem, the next portion of the therapy consists of reprocessing the memory or memories. To help with this, your therapist may repeatedly tap their finger or ask you to follow their finger. Ultimately, this stimulation helps the brain store the memory as it would a non-traumatic one. As a result, the memory won't take as much of a toll on you mentally when you recall it, which means you'll have less severe symptoms associated with the trauma.
Why Choose EMDR
Though recovery isn't a race, clients appreciate that their symptoms often ease more rapidly from EMDR than they would from other types of therapy.
Moreover, because you don't have to recall the trauma in intricate detail to process it through EMDR, it's a preferred treatment for many, as it's less emotional of an experience when compared to other treatments.
EMDR also has the advantage of reducing the emotional intensity of a memory in all situations when it may be recalled. In other words, rather than focusing on one specific trigger, this takes into account your experience as a whole. It's also empowering and easily customizable to each client's situation and trauma, allowing you to heal at a comfortable pace.
With Masha of Masha Sorkin & Associates, serving Brookline in-person and Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. via online visits, you can stop worrying about avoiding triggers, limit the number and intensity of intrusive thoughts, and reduce the frequency of nightmares, among other benefits. EMDR has a proven track record.
