Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
Traumatic experiences can be devastating, both in the moment that they happen and in the aftermath. Sometimes, extreme trauma can be so distressing that the brain cannot process what has happened, which inhibits both normal mental processes and emotional functioning. As a result, some may become perpetually hypervigilant or anxious, even long after the experience occurred. Some people may even develop or intensify mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, dissociative disorders and post traumatic stress disorder.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic modality that strives to help people who have gone through trauma to heal from those experiences, and thus better manage any resulting mental health disorders. Our EMDR in San Diego helps veterans face and process trauma in a safe, secure way, helping them to identify damaging thought processes. Through this identification, veterans can learn to react to painful memories and emotions in safe, healthy ways.
Wide Application
Although EMDR was originally developed to treat trauma, it has since been used to help treat other mental health disorders, including anxiety disorders and substance abuse. EMDR’s focus on disrupting maladaptive thought patterns and behaviors has been found to be effective in treating all of these mental health disorders, helping veterans to address difficult emotions, develop healthy habits, leading to an increased sense of stability and wholeness.
Therapy in Practice
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing begins with veterans remembering a traumatic experience. As this happens, trained clinicians will guide veterans through the memory while simultaneously directing their eye movements, which stimulate the brain. Intermittently, the clinician will ask the veteran to talk about how they are currently feeling, both physically and emotionally. Over the course of the therapy, the clinician will help the veteran gradually focus on more productive memories. This mixture of dialogue, memories and eye movements helps veterans to gradually desensitize themselves to overwhelmingly painful feelings brought on by trauma, safely process their experiences, recognize triggers, and manage both physical and emotional symptoms in a way that promotes lasting healing.
Our mental health treatment program integrates EMDR into veterans’ individualized treatment plans on a case-by-case basis, using the therapy if and when it will be most effective. Working in conjunction with other therapeutic modalities, EMDR can enhance quality treatment, helping veterans gain the necessary skills to build a secure, rich, and healthy life.
For more information about eye movement desensitization reprocessing, or about other treatments offered at Solara Mental Health, please contact us.
Solara’s Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing for Veterans
The goal of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is to help people who have experienced trauma heal from those experiences and to prevent the emergence of mental health disorders as a result. Understanding each veteran’s specific diagnosis is crucial for the treatment, that’s why at Solara Mental Health San Diego our staff of professionals is ready to assist each patient accordingly through a personalized treatment plan.
Solara Mental Health is VA contracted as a community care provider. Once authorized, housing, transportation, and accommodations will be provided.
