Therapy is not a monolith. There are many different types of and applications for therapy. Some people engage in therapy to recover from a specific incident or instance of trauma. Others use ongoing psychoanalysis to keep unhealthy tendencies in check and work towards continual self-improvement. Still, others benefit from therapy for addiction recovery. Since we’re complex beings with numerous experiences, combining therapy approaches is often the best. If you or someone you love may benefit from therapy for recovery, look for addiction counseling in Tennessee.
At Nashville Treatment Solutions, we specialize in addiction counseling. Our individualized and group therapy programs are tailored to clients’ unique needs and combined with various other evidence-based addiction treatment strategies. We believe in the transformative power of community to help people overcome addiction. Contact us at (615) 234-9425 to learn more about our offerings.
You are not alone. You deserve to get help.
Nashville Treatment Solutions is an industry leader in addiction treatment. Our team of top medical experts specialize in dual diagnosis treatment and are committed to ensuring that each patient is treated as an individual. Call us today, we’re available 24/7.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) therapy works to help the brain process and release traumatic experiences by focusing on eye movements. Trauma infiltrates every part of the body, from muscles to nerves to nightmares and flashbacks—it can be nearly impossible to determine where post-traumatic stress will surface in the body and how. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy aim to short-circuit the guesswork by tapping into the central nervous system, which connects every part of the body via the eyes.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy has eight distinct yet adaptable phases. They consist of:
- Inventory and treatment planning
- Trust-building and expectation-setting in preparation for treatment
- Establishing a baseline and assessing which specific memory to focus on
- Desensitization with bilateral stimulation
- Installation or strengthening of positive beliefs through reassociation
- Body scanning to identify and process lingering distress
- Closure helps reestablish calm at the end of a session
- Reevaluation links the previous session with the current session by examining recently processed memories
EMDR therapy has been used since the late 1980s to treat post-traumatic stress by using eye movements or rhythmic tapping to alter the way memories are stored in the brain, making them accessible and easier to process. Once traumatic memories can be adequately processed, the nervous system ceases to experience triggers as an immediate danger which releases the body and mind from the grips of post-traumatic stress.
The bilateral stimulation of eye movement or rhythmic tapping can render disturbing images less vivid during processing and help a person feel more relaxed. This leads to the brain associating the memory with relaxation rather than emotional shock and terror. The physiological changes during EMDR therapy alter the nervous system’s response to trauma freeing it from the anxiety-induced flight, fight, freeze, or fawn responses and encouraging emotional regulation.
Benefits of EMDR Therapy in Nashville
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy is non-invasive, gentle, and works with the body’s natural inclination towards adaptation and self-healing. EMDR therapy can help shift a person’s perspective concerning trauma by bringing the past into a relationship with the present. It encourages empowerment without requiring a person to talk through trauma extensively. Instead of teaching people how to cope with distressing symptoms, EMDR helps them understand how those symptoms developed. This allows change to occur from a place of understanding and empowerment.
Some key benefits of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy are:
- Creates trait changes instead of coping strategies
- Helps people move to adaptive, present moment situated viewpoints
- Process-oriented and works at the individual’s pace
- Allows for a lot of choice in the process
- Focuses on empowerment
- Doesn’t require the reliving of trauma through extensive talking
- Highly effective treatment for anxiety, mood disorders, eating disorders, addiction, grief, pain management, and stress
EMDR therapy for addiction can help at any stage of the recovery process. From helping alleviate the pain of withdrawals to identifying and processing relapse triggers years into the recovery process, EMDR Therapy acts with the body’s natural inclination toward healing to reprogram painful memories and experiences. If you or someone you love struggles with painful symptoms of addiction or simply wants to enhance the recovery process, EMDR Therapy can help.
Find EMDR Therapy in Nashville Today!
At Nashville Treatment Solutions, we employ EMDR Therapy and various other proven treatment methods to create customized treatment plans that suit every recovery path. We are founded on the philosophy that every recovery is built on a robust and stable community foundation. To that end, we also partner with a sober living community to ensure that our clients have a safe, sober place to live during treatment. We have experience integrating EMDR Therapy into every phase of addiction recovery, and we know it works. To learn more or try EMDR, contact us at (615) 234-9425
