Greater Vancouver EMDR Therapy

EMDR is a form of therapy. It stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Eye Movement refers to rhythmically moving one's eyes back and forth, following a prompt. The movement creates bilateral stimulation (a repeated action on one side of the body and then the other) and is done at the same time as thinking about the negative memory. Eye movements were originally vital to the process, but there are now also other ways to create this bilateral stimulation. These can be employed as necessary or based on one's preference. Bilateral stimulation activates both hemispheres of the brain at the same time, which helps resolve trauma efficiently. Bilateral stimulation also creates a system of dual attention. Paying attention to a stimulus in the present, while at the same time recalling the past, provides a catalyst for change. Desensitization refers to the manner in which a person receiving EMDR Therapy usually finds that the memory they are working on bothers them less or not at all anymore, and/or becomes less vivid or rather difficult to hold in their mind. Reprocessing refers to the transformation of a difficult memory that just won't go away to one that is healed (in the way that many of our memories resolve themselves naturally). As part of this, the client often develops a new perspective on the memory, or a new perspective of themselves in relation to the memory. EMDR is a non-traditional approach to therapy which is evidence-based, which is to say supported by a lot of research. The EMDR International Association, or EMDRIA, has a helpful video called "Introduction to EMDR Therapy" posted on YouTube. You can watch it here.

Any therapist who has completed Basic EMDR Training can practice EMDR Therapy with their clients, and be very effective. However, a Certified therapist has received a special designation from the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). In order to qualify, the therapist must have carried out a minimum of 50 sessions of EMDR with at least 25 clients in total, have advanced training, have registration/licensure in their clinical field (such as social work or clinical counselling), have letters of reference recommending them for certification, and have had 20 hours of supervision by an EMDRIA-Approved Consultant. To remain certified they must regularly particiapte in advanced trainings.

EMDR is not for everyone, but for many! If you come to me for therapy, I will offer an assessment on your suitability for EMDR. This will include providing you with some screening forms to help me ensure that EMDR is a good fit for your situation and needs. EMDR Therapy can be helpful for: ​ single incident traumas like being in a car accident, an assault, a rape, near-drowning, being attacked by a dog, an earthquake, or having a disturbing medical experience multiple incidences of a similar trauma like a multiple physical or sexual assaults occurring over a number of years a history of childhood trauma such as being hit or molested regularly, seeing a parent being repeatedly abused, being emotionally or verbal abused, or witnessing substance use in the home cumulative trauma, such as a group of many events that occur within an abusive marriage; many of which may seem small but they add up to a lot -- this can include verbal, emotional, physical, sexual, and/or psychological abuse an event which seems like it shouldn't be a big deal but for some reason you "just can't get over it" negative core beliefs (beliefs we hold about ourselves, such as thinking one is a bad person after being told so repeatedly or experiencing a major failure) a history of being bullied traumatic loss/long-lasting grief (from losing a family member, friend, or pet unexpectedly and/or in a disturbing way) First Responders/Public Safety Personnel/Military or people who have been in war zones. ​ EMDR can also be used for other issues, including: ​ performance enhancement borderline personality disorder nightmares following trauma phobias or strong fears obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) health anxiety/health-checking disordered eating of various kinds, including eating disorders or emotional eating difficulty with sex & intimacy addictions (substances, shopping, gambling, pornography, sex, video games) self-harming such as cutting skin-picking or hair-pulling disorders vicarious trauma ​ There are some risks associated with EMDR Therapy, however risks are inherent in every form of therapy. I mitigate risks in several important ways and I would be happy to explain this further. Contact me to find out if EMDR could help you.

Trauma can be defined not by the event itself but by how the event has affected the person who experienced it. If you experienced something difficult a while ago and you still feel teary, stuck, unable to move on, triggered, angry, guilty, or devastated about it, those are good signs that you may need some help to heal in such away that your quality of life is improved. While some clients may worry that their difficult experience doesn't "count" as trauma, I have never taken that perspective. If your past experience is adversely affecting you in some way, then I am here to help.

Instead of eye movements, clients can engage in the back and forth experience (bilateral stimulation) by listening to special headphones which make alternating sounds in their ears, tapping rhythmically on one thigh and then the other, hugging their bodies and tapping on the sides of their forearms in an alternative manner, or similarly crossing their arms to make a butterfly shape and tapping the sides of the top of their chest. Strategies can also be combined. These other options have been very effective in my experience as a therapist, and have the benefit of allowing the client to close their eyes. For some clients, closing their eyes allows them to visualize or focus more effectively. However, these methods have received less attention in research on EMDR Therapy.

EMDR Therapy is very powerful on its own and it is often not necessary to apply other tools. However, the wonderful thing with having different approaches is that if one thing isn't a fit, there are other tools to choose from. Below are three methods that I use regularly. 1) Somatic Therapy is a body-based approach to treating issues like trauma. The premise is that we carry our difficult stories in our bodies, not just our minds. By employing a somatic intervention in just the right moment, a therapist can help to release trauma more easily. Somatic practices are also inherent in EMDR Therapy itself. 2) Ego State Therapy involves practices such as connecting with a younger version of ourselves when we were abused while growing up, or noticing different aspects or parts of who we are. Identifying these aspects of ourselves creates an understanding of why we act or think as we do. It helps us recover and it helps us make connections so we can move forward with more self-awareness and insight. This tool can facilitate the healing process and can be added in during the reprocessing. 3) The Flash Technique is actually a form of brief therapy, not just a technique. It is a newer method but the research on it is showing very promising results. Currently only clinicians with backgrounds in treating trauma (such as EMDR therapists) are permitted to learn it, in order to ensure they have sufficient experience to employ this simple but potent method correctly and safely. While involving a different procedure than EMDR, it creates similar outcomes, and the two approaches can complement each other. Moments when I would I suggest the Flash Technique include when there is a lot of anxiety about doing EMDR or when our time is limited.

EMDR can work very well online if a client prefers this format or if in-person sessions are not possible. I have a secure video platform for all my virtual sessions, and I use a secure specialized EMDR application which can offer eye movements and/or tones through your computer (using the screen, headphones, or both). Alternatively, I can guide you to do bilateral stimulation through the use of tapping on your own body (tapping on your thighs, crossing your arms in a "hug" and tapping the sides of your forearms, or tapping the top of your chest with your thumbs attached in a "butterfly" position). There can be drawbacks to online therapy, such as our screens freezing, but I find this is rare. I provide online EMDR quite often and find it works well. Traditionally, EMDR is carried out in a counselling office, however virtual sessions have become popular since the pandemic and many clients feel that counselling is more comfortable and convenient from home.

The length of time to experience success in EMDR Therapy varies quite a bit. A single incident trauma is relatively simple and may not take long to work through. More complex or multiple traumas can take more time. Also, different clients do the work at different speeds; some people reprocess memories quite quickly, while others are slower. When clients start to notice change, they are usually quite pleasantly surprised by what is happening, which provides hope for the future, and motivation to keep going. Before starting to work through a difficult memory or experience, some preparation is required. This includes history-taking, treatment planning, and creating a few resources to help you out during the process. Clients can experience success sooner with weekly appointments as opposed to bi-weekly appointments, or longer appointments than the standard hour. I offer 1.5 and 2 hour appointments as well, which can be very helpful with EMDR. Please contact me for more information.

EMDR has some unique and interesting features. For example, the work is done entirely in the session as opposed to requiring homework or asking clients to engage in challenges in between sessions. While improvements often happen in between sessions, they take place without conscious effort, when the mind is still processing what took place in the session. It is also not necessary to relive traumatic experiences in great depth or replay fears with significant detail. For clients afraid of addressing their trauma, note that EMDR can be successful without having to endure major stress or distress. In addition, EMDR seems to be able to have an effect in a much shorter period of time than when using talk therapy alone. I sometimes think of the reprocessing process as resolving memories with a "fast forward" button. Finally, EMDR addresses and resolves the root of the issue -- which is often trauma -- as opposed to reducing symptoms only. Symptoms such as getting easily triggered, having flashbacks, having certain kinds of pain, or experiencing frequent nightmares can often be dramatically improved or will cease to occur as part of doing EMDR. In my practice I also offer other very effective forms of therapy and would let you know if I felt they were more suited to your situation.

Getting started It is important for clients to know that we won't start reprocessing memories during the first appointment. In fact, prior to engaging in EMDR at all, I have clients complete screening forms to ensure a good, safe fit for this treatment method. When it is safe to begin, we will look at your story and make a careful treatment plan to work systematically -- instead of haphazardly -- on addressing your struggles. I really value this part. We then engage in some preparation, so that when we start reprocessing your memories, you will have coping tools in your therapy toolbox for us to draw on. The history-taking, treatment planning, and preparation represent important steps for success and are known as phases 1 and 2 of the EMDR process. Doing it “right” Some clients worry at first that they are not having the right reaction or are doing it wrong. Don’t worry; that simply doesn't happen as long as you are engaging in the work and following some very basic instructions. If you need to do anything diffferently, I'll be sure to let you know. Signs that EMDR is working are: forgotten memories surface, different emotions come and go or they change in intensity, the level of disturbance goes down (we measure this on a 0-10 scale in order to track progress), the memory becomes less vivid, or insight is gained. Teamwork When I practice EMDR, my client and I embark on a joint emotional journey. We are a team. They are never alone going into a tough memory; we go into it together and come out of it together. It helps greatly when my client trusts me and when they are honest about how they are doing -- after all, we're in this together! On my end, I care deeply about my client's experience and am there helping them out every step of the way. I introduce different strategies to move the process along as necessary, and otherwise I let EMDR do the work. The procedure I sometimes say that EMDR Therapy is much more like a physiotherapy appointment than traditional talk therapy. This is because EMDR follows and repeats a set procedure or protocol. We break briefly but regularly in between carrying out the sets of bilateral stimulation that make EMDR so unique (eye movements, tapping, or tones), to check for progress. Then we start up all over again. Many people find they like the structure of EMDR when compared to non-structured talk therapy. What happens to memories I have noticed that one or more of the following happens to negative or traumatic memories from the past, when doing EMDR Therapy: The memory simply stops being bothersome anymore A new perspective arises that changes the client's whole perception of the incident The memory becomes fuzzy, dim, less vivid, difficult or at least more difficult to conjure, or feels like it is being viewed at a distance These outcomes can be quite surprising to experience given how long someone may have lived with the traumatic memories. Given point 3, it is important to note that a client needs to be all right with some of their memories becoming altered. At face value, this may seem nothing short of desirable. Yet, if the person is trying to hold onto a memory which is disturbing but is all that remains in their mind of a loved one (for example), a change to the elements of that memory could potentially be perceived as a loss. We even tell clients who come for trauma therapy following being victims of a crime that if they will have to testify in court about the negative impact of the crime on their mental well-being, it is best NOT to do EMDR until later, because they may become unable to fully conjure their actual suffering before the court. This speaks to the efficacy of EMDR Therapy. (Clients who need to put a hold on reprocessing can still see me for approaches like talk therapy, exploration, preparatory EMDR work, and/or mindfulness. I also offer Cognitive Processing Therapy, which is a trauma therapy that employs a cognitive approach.) I also suggest that EMDR Therapy is kind of like trauma recovery on fast-forward. One of the reasons that point 3 could potentially be hard for some is that changes to the memory can happen so fast, without much preparation for the shift. EMDR Therapy seems to be able to accomplish in a very short time what would otherwise take months or years, thus it can be refreshing, exciting, or wondrous – and it can be a bit of an adjustment at first! A special feature of this therapy is that clients may start to notice positive memories coming to the surface of their minds as the negative memories resolve. After traumatic events, we often try not to think about the trauma. In the process of suppressing it, positive memories of people and events from that time period get suppressed too, and these can become released during the work. The session and the in-between time A lot can happen in an EMDR Therapy session, and clients can feel tired afterwards. It is best not to fill your schedule the day of your first reprocessing session (ie. the planning is not draining but the first time we use the bilateral stimulation can be). Interestingly, progress also often takes place between one session and the next, so when we revisit the memory it may have shifted/improved since the last session.

Some clients fear that EMDR will be more than they can handle, however I wouldn't offer an approach that was more than my clients could deal with. It is also my job to help you through the work once I assess that EMDR is a good fit for you and you feel that you are generally interested in proceeding (despite some fears). My strong belief in you and my calming, patient, and gentle nature as a therapist are helpful towards gaining confidence. You would also likely feel reassured by the coping tools we would have prepared together in Phase 2 of EMDR and my other supportive practices. In any case, though, I would never start EMDR with you until you felt ready. We could also do some other preparatory work to help you feel ready, but I would not push you to do something that didn't feel right yet. I sometimes suggest starting with a different, minor disturbing memory to help worried clients gain confidence in themselves and in EMDR. There is also another procedure specific to EMDR that helps by approaching the trauma in a different way. Alternatively we can start with the Flash Technique (see information about this in the FAQ about complementary tools). With the Flash Technique it is even less necessary to revisit disturbing memories in detail -- in fact, not really necessary at all -- so it is an excellent tool to try first if you're feeling nervous. The manner of addressing memories with the Flash Technique differs substantially from EMDR, but some of the processes and concepts are the same, the approach to trauma is the same, the outcomes can be quite similar, and they both use active, non-traditional methods when compared to talk therapy.

Yes, I work with both of these populations, and I find it incredibly rewarding. It is an honour to help and to be trusted with your story. Sometimes trauma from the past can hold us back; sometimes the trauma comes from the work and affects us deeply. It is important to look after your own mental health and well-being so you can continue to serve the community and get the very best from life.