Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment is an evidence-based therapy that has grown in popularity in the last ten years due to its efficacy as a therapeutic tool to help people overcome the lasting effects of trauma. In mental health and addiction therapy programs, EMDR accesses the brain’s healing capacity to restructure the way you remember past trauma and experience those memories. Instead of having power over you daily, your trauma is relegated to its rightful place in your brain’s filing system as a past event you do not need to relive constantly.
EMDR therapy for addiction treatment is offered at Apex Recovery Nashville because we are committed to helping you attain lasting mental health and sobriety. The power of EMDR treatment cannot be overlooked. If you are curious about this therapy option at Apex Recovery, reach out to Apex Recovery Nashville today by calling 615.703.4639 or using this online form. EMDR therapy in Nashville may be precisely what you need to begin your recovery securely.
How Does Trauma Work and What Is an EMDR Therapy Program?
Researchers and psychologists have concluded that what many people have understood for years is based on science—mental health is intertwined with an individual’s physical state. The brain-body connection is the basis for numerous approaches to healing in both the physical and mental health arenas.
An EMDR treatment program addresses past trauma. Whether you have an official diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), EMDR can help you process any trauma you have experienced. Using eye movement—and sometimes sounds or tapping—an EMDR clinician allows your brain to reorganize how it stores traumatic memories.
Because of the assault that trauma commits against your brain, the brain uses its well-established defense strategy to ensure it is protected in the future. To make sure you recognize a traumatic event if it strikes again, your brain stores the memory right up front, which is why even long-ago trauma can feel as if it just happened or is happening right now—as in flashbacks. This means that endless triggers can make you think re-traumatized at any moment. For people with PTSD, these effects can completely derail their ability to function. They are also a big reason this population turns to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate—anything to dull the ongoing effects of trauma in daily life.
Using bilateral stimulation via eye movement, you can reprocess trauma and, as a result, desensitize yourself to the memory of it. The point is not to erase memory—re-file it where it can no longer hurt you.
EMDR Therapy for Addiction Treatment
EMDR treatment can help you accomplish many things on your recovery journey. For example:
- Positive belief systems and self-image – Your negative, hurtful beliefs about yourself and the world result from past painful and traumatic experiences. EMDR can help you feel hope and develop trust again.
- The end to spiraling thoughts – One of the effects of trauma is the endless circle of thinking that can spark panic, anxiety, and phobias. EMDR liberates you by breaking the cycle.
- Better relationships – Your renewed self-confidence and freedom from spinning negative thoughts allow you to enter relationships feeling safe, create healthy boundaries, and be assured of your own value.
- Quick results – EMDR is typically a short-term, goal-oriented therapy lasting eight to 12 weeks. EMDR has lasting effects, and your trauma likely will not require further treatment.
As a part of a full-spectrum addiction treatment program, EMDR is a powerful tool for those whose addiction is linked to past trauma and a diagnosis of PTSD.