If you’ve heard about EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) or ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy) you most likely are aware of trauma, or have experienced trauma yourself. If not, you can read more on trauma here.
You might wonder if EMDR or ART are the right treatment approach for you. If you are interested in how those approaches work in greater detail, you can read more about it here.
Here are five things to consider if you are interested in EMDR or ART:
- If you are already in therapy, ask your therapist about their thoughts on those treatment modalities for you.
- EMDR and ART can be great when you are feeling stuck and when talk therapies have not been helpful for you, or when you’ve reached a dead end in therapy. They can also be great as an addition to traditional talk therapy.
- ART can be very helpful when you had one single incident (car accident, assault, etc.) and when you seem to not be able to let go of it. But it can also be great in addressing phobias, anxiety, depression, addictions.
- You need to be willing to recall the traumatic memory. If you are not ready to do so, EMDR or ART might not be right for you yet.
- You need to want to change the negative emotions connected to your traumatic memories. If you are not ready to let go of those, you might not be ready yet for EMDR or ART.
There is no one size fits all and there are many different approaches in treating trauma. Everyone experiences stressful or traumatic experiences differently. Furthermore people also process traumatic situations in different ways. Resilience also plays a role in how we process trauma. Some people are more resilient than others, and therefore can cope with traumatic experiences better. Resilience is how well someone adapts to stressful situations or life-changing events. So if you are feeling stuck and unable to move forward, maybe EMDR or ART would be worth a try.
Visit the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Accelerated Resolution Therapy websites to learn more about each modality.
