EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) therapy and embodiment practices I have found to be powerful tools and interventions to support someone in finding balance, harmony and relief away from present day distress. These practices can include: grounding practices, somatic awareness and processing, deeper meditations or hypnotic states, memory regressions, reprocessing past experiences, memory reintegration, future envisioning, ego state or parks work, dream processing and visualizations/imagery.
Issues and areas that these practices can support in addressing:
Loss sense of self, self-esteem
Identity exploration related to gender and sexuality
Complex trauma, related to childhood abuse/neglect, abandonment, betrayal
Dissociation, mild to chronic
Sexual abuse, assault or harassment histories
Addiction and addictive behaviors
Oppressive experiences related to social-cultural trauma and abusive experiences
Authentic self development related to creativity, intuition, and life purpose
PTSD and single event traumas
Depression and anxiety
In short, these practices attune to the the energy of the entire body while connecting consciously to the subconscious “mind”. Additionally these practices allow a person to tap into the natural healing energy and intuitive knowledge of the body we all contain by creating a wider narrative to one’s life experiences.
Our subconscious “mind” really shapes most of our symptoms, behaviors and reactions. This energy lives in the whole body, not simply in our brain or head. I consider the “whole” body as both an intricate, individual vessel and a collective vessel - related to the societies and environments we dwell in.
These practices are intended for everyone if you are a human being, even though the process may look different for everyone given our uniqueness. You might be someone who knows you have endured a pretty traumatic history or single event trauma, or someone who is not quite sure why you are experiencing symptoms such as intense anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, depression, loss sense of self, intrusive thoughts or fears. These practices are powerful in building conscious awareness and bringing forth relief from these symptoms. Most importantly, these practices continue to open the door to your authentic self, despite your past, how you are perceived, what you have internalized, social stressors or identity.
Are you someone who has not experienced improvement or relief of symptoms with talk therapy and/or medications alone? This is true for many given how unprocessed energy or memories are stored in our body. Deeper healing requires attuning to bodily patterns, which are felt and sensed in the body, as we build consciousness and language with our magnetic mind.
Why use “whole” body processing? Because it is very challenging to access authenticity and relief from emotional pain by exclusively talking about our experiences and our inner world. Of course sharing with someone and verbal processing are incredibly essential to our healing and process, though these can reach limitations for many, especially those from complex trauma histories.
Often times many of us lack language to describe our emotional pain or inner world and dissociate frequently. Did you know we can even dissociate from emotional pain as we talk about disturbing experiences? Dissociation is an amazing way we learn to survive as human beings, though can become a block when it’s time for healing! Medications can help limit or decrease symptoms and can be helpful for many, though psychiatric medications do not offer cures or solve our deeper, underlying problems, especially when it comes to subconscious energy. This is why an integrative approach is so necessary!
The organic process of EMDR therapy naturally attunes to the somatic energy of the body with the use of Bi-lateral stimulation.
Here are some great resources to look into about EMDR therapy and healing. But, don’t sweat it. I will go step by step on how the process works when we meet together.
Check out some real life testimonials below from people who have found relief and success with these tools as well as more information found on the services page. Reach out to me if you are a provider seeking consultation here.
“Whole” Body Therapy
EMDRIA: “What is EMDR Therapy?” Video
Testimonials
I am a trans man. I came to Stefan in a tumultuous state, with enormous self-doubt, uncertainty, and shame. He listened to me calmly, seriously and addressed all of my concerns with respect and importance. I firmly believe that Stefan gave me the tools to change my life for the better. This began as casual talk therapy as we worked through my identity, he guided me toward the answers and helped me see my truth. As more unfolded about my life and journey as a trans person, Stefan suggested EMDR therapy. He always made it clear that I was in control which, at the time, was a rarity for me. Over 200 sessions later, I feel as if I am an evolved version of myself. My mental and emotional changes through our sessions helped me understand my emotion recognition and regulation. I was able to see the root of many of my struggles that spanned back to my childhood. I never knew how much had been repressed or how much I had kept in. When I first began seeing Stefan, I had an inability to cry. Now, I am able to be vulnerable for others and self-regulate if I get triggered. Physically, I was improved enough to cease taking all of my behavioral medications and have not required any of them since…I've become a confident, unashamed, and proud version of myself. Those close to me have noticed I am able to handle situations (that would have previously impaired me) with ease…He gave me the tools to visualize myself in the present, past and future. It was not an easy journey and it's not over yet, but it was worth every step. I was able to revive my passions for writing, improve my relationships with friends, understand my own emotions, and choose my own happiness.... It was as if a thin curtain was pulled from my eyes and I could look a little better at the things holding back my progress.
“Before starting, I wasn’t sure that EMDR would be all that beneficial for me, but I found that it completely changed the way I viewed how I was existing in the world and within myself. I hadn’t anticipated dreams and subconscious processes of my mind to factor so strongly into my mental health, and the reconnection to my body through EMDR brought those inner workings into focus. Grounding practices especially are something that I still use, scanning my body and releasing energy through my breath to recenter.”
“As a queer and trans person of color, I feel my voice is sometimes not heard in certain ways but, I always felt comfortable expressing myself in my sessions with Stefan. He is very articulate and has a calming presence. I feel I have a better sense of self…My experience with EMDR though brief was helpful for me. It is a different way to process that I had never experienced before…My gender journey has had so much to it - Ups, downs and so much in between. I felt safe to share my whole truth. It can be very hard at times to find spaces where I feel completely safe. Stefan always made it feel very safe. I feel that I have grown as a person in so many ways. I am more confident, grounded and all around more level headed in ways.”
“My EMDR therapy wasn’t much about me mending my relationships to others but my relationship to me….While mending my relationship to myself, I was shook how much of the pain I carried about my trans experience wasn’t even mine. I had heard rumors that is how it works, but I never could complete the line of reasoning when it came to my own person. As I was processing my memories with Stefan, I started to feel how much the dread puppets my posture and pinches the right side of my face. I started to notice that I wasn’t even really meditating. I had practiced on my own for years in an effort to ease anxiety but I was actually just disassociating on purpose. I think in the beginning I even laid claim to feeling no shame at all. I was just sure my transition was a need, but it felt so out of reach when I came out and I couldn’t seem to explain myself to the people around me. I actually still can’t, but I don’t feel responsible to do so anymore. EMDR helped me logically break the tether between my identity and those around me. This ended my ‘stuck in the past’ mindset because I wasn’t sending every free braincell on a search for evidence about who I was anymore. My therapy with Stefan was in the context of gender identity because that has been the context of my life. I think EMDR therapy is for everyone.”
“The continued atmosphere of non judgement in sessions was what helped me to overcome that hurdle. Something that I’ve also struggled with for years is “stuckness.” I get weighed down and unmotivated, feel the symptoms of my depression creep back in over weeks or months. The harder that it is to accomplish anything, the harder it becomes to shake the often subconscious negative thought patterns. I feel like I’m stagnating, self care becomes nearly impossible. Outside, I’m completely functional, but my internal world is in shambles. Working through certain experiences with EMDR allowed me to chip away at what was fueling these symptoms. I noticed myself waking up with more energy, not dreading being alive, and feeling a real desire to be social again. I still have my struggles, but the frequency and severity of my symptoms has lessened to a very manageable level.”