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Michelle Nicholas, LCSW
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EMDR Therapy​

Finally Get Unstuck From Your Past
  • Are you struggling to recover from a traumatic experience such as an accident, disaster, assault or injury?
  • Have you experienced abuse or neglect?
  • Do you find it difficult to trust others, or feel fearful of rejection by others?
  • Do you feel “on edge”, easily triggered, or “on alert”?
  • Have you used substances such as alcohol, smoking, or food to soothe or numb your pain?
Trauma can have long lasting effects on all aspects of your life, whether you remember the trauma or not. You might experience medical complications, physical symptoms such as tension or difficulty sleeping, and emotional symptoms such as anxiety, panic attacks, fearfulness, depression or shame. You may also find yourself avoiding situations that remind you of the trauma. You might numb or soothe yourself with food, alcohol, sex or other substances and may not even know why.
Restorative Counseling aims to make a difference in people’s lives through counseling, therapy and other treatments. One of these methods is EDMR Therapy, which is a powerful treatment approach used by a trained trauma therapist that can help you break free from trauma and its lasting symptoms.

What is EMDR Therapy?​

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy approach that has helped people relieve many types of psychological distress. Substantial scientific research has established EMDR as effective for treating posttraumatic stress. It has also been effective in treating anxiety disorders such as phobias or panic disorder, disturbing memories, performance anxiety, trauma, stress reduction, complicated grief, sexual and/or physical abuse. EMDR therapy heals trauma by teaching you skills to handle emotional distress and using stimulation such as eye movements and taps. EMDR can help release the hold trauma has in your body, relieve symptoms and help you regain your life.
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Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will teach you coping skills and strategies to feel safe and grounded, increase your resiliency, and help you learn to self-regulate your emotions. Once you’re prepared, you’ll identify negative feelings and beliefs that you may have developed as a result of the trauma you experienced. For example, you may hold a belief that you are unlovable, experience disturbing thoughts or images, or feel uncomfortable physical sensations in your body. 
The EMDR process helps you to release the impact of trauma from your mind and body so that you can feel stronger, safer, and more secure. ​
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How Do I Know if I Need EMDR Therapy?

You may experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or you might just notice the following impact of painful experiences in your life. EMDR therapy can offer relief and healing from these symptoms and is an effective treatment for ptsd.
  • Hypervigilance: feeling on alert to everything (and everyone) in your surroundings
  • Upsetting or negative emotions
  • Feeling “stuck” or “frozen”
  • Feeling disconnected or numb
  • Anxiety / panic attacks
  • Unexplained medical complications
  • Physical “tightness” in the muscles (clenched jaw, tight shoulders)
  • Confusion, difficulty concentrating
  • Feeling “unsafe”
  • Withdrawing from others
  • Anger, irritability, mood swings
  • Obsessive thinking
  • Intrusive thoughts/distressing memories/flashbacks
  • Feeling “spaced out”
  • Negative beliefs
  • Chronic pain

​Rather than struggling with these symptoms, EMDR therapy can help you process and let go of your traumatic experience. Letting go means having more energy for living your life with greater freedom and ease. It means letting go of fear, shame, restless nights, and building greater confidence.
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