EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy)

EMDR (also known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) is an integrative psychotherapy methodology that has been proven effective for the treatment of trauma through extensive research. The EMDR therapy process is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches and can be combined with other modes of therapy.

How EMDR Therapy Works

EMDR enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that come from disturbing life experiences (also known as traumas).  Repeated studies show that utilizing EMDR therapy helps people gain the same empirically proven results of counseling in a much shorter time period than traditional “talk therapy.” Culturally speaking, there is an adage “time heals all wounds.” With symptoms resulting from trauma, the emotional pain associated with unresolved traumas does not always dissipate. Research studies on EMDR therapy have proven that the mind can, in fact, resolve issues stemming from psychological trauma, much like the body recovers from physical trauma. 

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy)

Sarah Denick

Counseling & EMDR Therapy for Individuals, Families, Couples, Teens and Children

Kori Crask, LMSW

Trauma-Informed Counseling and EMDR Therapy for long-term healing

Margie Muñoz

Trauma Informed Counseling, Mindfulness-Based, and EMDR Therapy for Children, Teens, and Adults

Paul Krauss – Clinical Director

Counseling, EMDR Therapy, & Solutions

Maxwell Schuiteman

EMDR, Strengths-Based, and Relational Therapy for Adults: Relationships, Men’s Issues, Trauma, etc.

Melodie Whitmore

Trauma-Informed Counseling and EMDR therapy for Women and Young Adults

K’Quiana Griffin-Knowling

EMDR, Empowerment, and Healing for all

Nicole Cass

Creative Solutions and Trauma-Informed Counseling for Couples, Adults, Children, and Teens

Brendan Cole

Counseling and EMDR for Adolescents, Teens and Adults

Joshua Nave

EMDR Therapy for Anxiety, Trauma, and Minority Groups

Josh Zheng

Empowering Counseling for All, EMDR Therapy, Internal Family Systems Therapy for all ages.

Jennifer McKinstry

Counseling and EMDR Therapy for Trauma, Depression, Anxiety, and Spiritual Issues

Lindsey Beaver

Trauma Informed Counseling & EMDR for Children, Teens, Young Adults and Adults

Billie Walters

Intuitive Counseling, EMDR Therapy, and Reiki

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Results of EMDR Therapy

The result of EMDR therapy for most people leads to a large decrease in symptoms and in a shorter time span.  If you accidentally cut your foot, the body has mechanisms in place to start closing and eventually healing the wound. If there is a foreign object in the foot, or repeated injuries continue to irritate that area—it will cause pain and not heal correctly—it may require medical intervention. However, once the obstacle to cure is removed, the healing process resumes. Just like the example of the foot, EMDR therapy targets and has demonstrated that a similar process can occur with mental and emotional processes—and relief of symptoms will begin. The brain’s adaptive information processing network seeks homeostasis, toward overall emotional and mental wellness. However, if this system is obstructed or knocked out of balance by the impact of a disturbing event(s), an emotional or mental wound can worsen and can cause intense suffering (known as symptoms, such as severe anxiety and depression).  Once the obstacle or obstruction is removed, healing in the mind resumes.  Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR training, along with a toolbox of counseling techniques, EMDR-trained Therapists can help clients activate their natural healing mechanism and move through past traumas to a place where they experience deep healing and transformation.

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Studies on EMDR Therapy

More than 30 positive controlled outcome studies have been done on EMDR therapy.  Some of the studies illustrated that 84%-90% of single-trauma victims no longer qualified for the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder after only three 90-minute sessions.  Another study, funded by the HMO Kaiser Permanente, found that 100% of the single-trauma victims and 77% of multiple trauma victims no longer were diagnosed with PTSD after only six 50-minute sessions. In another study, 77% of combat veterans were free from major symptoms of PTSD in 12 sessions. Thanks to extensive research, EMDR therapy that it is now recognized as an effective form of treatment for trauma and other disturbing experiences by organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization and the US Department of Defense. As EMDR has been recognized worldwide as an effective treatment of trauma, it can be anecdotally stated that EMDR therapy would also be effective in treating the “every day” memories connected to feelings of low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness, and many other internal struggles that bring people into counseling. In fact, many clinicians have utilized advanced EMDR techniques to target the overwhelming “felt” symptoms in the body of the client and then connect these to thoughts—in a way that actually reduced the “felt” symptoms and helps the person understand why they experienced such symptoms in the first place. Well over 100,000 clinicians throughout the world utilized EMDR therapy.  Millions of people have been treated successfully over the past 25 years. If you see an EMDR therapist, make sure that they were properly trained, and have received at least the basic certification of 6 full days of training and 10 consultation hours. If you are a person with multiple-traumas or complex PTSD, it would be wise to seek an EMDR therapist who has completed advanced EMDR training.

“Seven of 10 RCTs have indicated that EMDR therapy is more rapid or otherwise superior to CBT,1219 and only 1 have reported superior effects for CBT on some measures.20 The latter is likewise the only RCT (of 25) to report a control condition superior to EMDR. Whereas the EMDR therapy involved only 8 standard sessions and no homework, the CBT treatment was vastly more complex and entailed 4 sessions of imaginal exposure (describing the trauma) and 4 sessions of therapist-assisted in vivo exposure (physically going to a disturbing location) plus approximately 50 hours of combined imaginal exposure and in vivo exposure homework. The EMDR therapy condition involved only 8 standard sessions and no homework.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3951033/

All of the Counselors at The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids have undergone extensive additional training in order to help you:

Following graduate school, all of the counselors at The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids (located inside Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids) have received extensive training in understanding the latest scientific research on neurobiology and how trauma affects the whole person. In addition, all of our therapists have learned at least one, trauma-specific intervention modality, which they have added to their toolbox of techniques in order to best help all people who seek help. This means, that they not only have the same training as your average counselor or therapist in Grand Rapids, MI to conduct traditional counseling and talk-therapy, but they have additional tools and information that will be helpful to people who are looking for more than a “solution-focused brief approach” or a strictly “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)” approach. More good news: Our therapists all know how to utilized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and interweave those modalities into their personal style. And so, if you are seeking that type of counseling—we also can provide it.

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Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids is a multi-faceted clinic that aims to help the whole person in a holistic manner. Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids houses the Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids, Individual Therapists, Couples Counselors, Child Therapists, Family Therapists, and produces a variety of Health Courses (available online), as well as free health blogs and youtube videos. We’re your one-stop-shop for getting to the root of what is troubling you and helping you on your journey of healing.
 

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