OUR THOUGHTS = OUR FEELINGS = OUR BEHAVIORS

 (refer to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy section)




  Therefore,

All positive behaviors come from positive thoughts &

All negative behaviors come from negative thoughts.

SO ALL NEGATIVE THOUGHTS COMES FROM TRAUMA!

 

E.M.D.R. TAKES AWAY

NEGATIVE BELIEFS, NEGATIVE FEELINGS, 
AND NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS

ASSOCIATED WITH THE ORIGINAL TRAUMA!

AND, BECAUSE THE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY, 
THE NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS WILL ALSO GO AWAY!!!

     A major portion of our current thoughts, feelings, and consequent behaviors originate from our beliefs about ourselves and our place in the world. Our negative beliefs are caused by the various traumas that we experience throughout our lives, (be it the type of trauma referred to as “T”, the bigger traumas, or “t”, the lesser traumas). These negative beliefs feed our negative thoughts and feelings and result in our negative/dysfunctional behaviors. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) can “clear” these original traumas and neutralizes the negative beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors associated with the original trauma so they have no further negative impact on your life.

 

What is meant by “trauma”?

   

     Webster’s Dictionary defines trauma as “a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from mental or emotional stress or physical injury”. When we think of trauma or of someone being traumatized, we usually think of the bigger forms of trauma that result from a major accident, disaster, or tragedy. This is the type of trauma that is referred to as “T”, or bigger, traumas. These forms of trauma are perceived as life threatening or able to effect one’s life dramatically. Some examples of events causing this type of trauma would be natural disasters, accidents, rape, witnessing violence, physical injury, physical, sexual and/or even emotional abuse, etc. These traumas can lead to debilitating symptoms such as nightmares, anxiety,  fears, phobias,  flashbacks,as well as difficulties at home and work, with extreme cases leading to clinically defined disorders such as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), or other clinically defined anxiety or depressive disorders. Some examples of negative self-beliefs that develop from these traumas are, “I’m not safe in the world”, “I’m in danger”, “I’m going to die”, etc.

     However, the majority of trauma we experience in our lives does not come from these larger, more dramatic events. Most of the trauma we all experience in our lives comes from the “t”, or smaller, more personalized traumatic events which are more insidious. These events, usually experienced in our childhood, have negatively altered our sense of self in some way, and influence how we feel about ourselves and how we interact in the world around us. These experiences caused us emotional pain, humiliation, or shame, giving us a lesser sense of self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Being chastised or judged unfairly by our caretakers, (no matter how well intentioned they may have been), being humiliated in the classroom, difficulties with peers, losses due to death or others moving away, chaotic family dynamics, divorce, abandonment issues, etc., can contribute to “t” traumas. Some examples of self-beliefs that develop from these “t” traumas are “I’m not deserving”, “I’m not lovable”, “I’m stupid”, “I’m not good enough”, etc.

What is EMDR?

     The various traumas we experience throughout our lifetime become trapped in one side of the brain while language is processed in the opposite side. Because the two sides of the brain do not effectively communicate with each other, talk therapies cannot effectively release the trauma. The bilateral stimulation used in EMDR “unlocks” the trauma and allows the mind and body to process the traumatic experience by connecting the two hemispheres of the brain and releasing the trauma through a free association process.

     It is believed that the process by which this occurs is similar to REM (Rapid Eye Movement), the deepest stage of our nightly sleep, which is believed to be effective in processing negative thoughts and emotions. However, with those larger traumas or traumas that persist over time, the REM system gets overloaded and is not able to process all of the traumatic material. This “overflow” gets stored in the subconscious and has a continued, negative effect on our beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

From Negative to Positive

 

     As the traumatic information is processed by bilateral stimulation, the negative images, affect, and beliefs of your traumatic experiences disappear, while positive images, affect and beliefs become more vivid (letting go of the negative and filling up with the positive). As this information becomes fully processed, the client reaches a positive resolution and those “traumas” simply become memories, without the negative emotional “charge”.

 

 






































































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