Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Putting EMDR into Practice

The unique ways in which individuals respond to past traumatic events dictates the therapeutic approach we use at Avalon Malibu. While some clients benefit greatly from talk therapy and counselor driven reflection, others may have difficulty vocalizing particular experiences and therefore find discussion difficult. Many of our clients require a combination of treatments, and we choose our array of both traditional and holistic modalities for addiction and mental health based on your behavioral tendencies, which we can understand through a thorough evaluation. Depending upon the qualities you present, we may select Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy as one of the several approaches to the addiction and co-occurring disorder you are facing.

EMDR focuses on past life experiences that you and your therapist believe to be responsible for your addiction and mental health today. By addressing events that have caused your current mindset, you can work toward changing your thought processes behind these emotions as well as the behaviors associated with them, which will eventually give you the tools you need to adapt your mind to the future.

EMDR takes place during multiple treatment sessions, with the exact number depending upon your progress throughout therapy; however, eight different phases are used to create a sense of empowerment within you.

One session focuses on bilateral stimulation, which is where this form of treatment acquires its name, and these techniques can range from finger movements across your field of vision, tapping sounds or other audible movements. The goal of EMDR is to help you focus on a particular memory — one that has contributed to your emotional disturbances —and transform it into positive cognition. Studies have shown that the process mimics the brain’s dynamic during REM sleep, which is a cycle that allows internal revelations (dreams) to arise.