EMDR therapy is one of the newer and more advanced forms of therapy. It leverages eye movement with a modern view of trauma to help you make peace with the past. And while EMDR has many benefits, there are five in particular that are important for people who want to treat unresolved trauma.
1. Seeing Results at a Rapid Pace
When people start therapy for the first time they’re usually cautioned to reign back any of their expectations for rapid recovery. And it’s true that therapy is typically a fairly slow process. But EMDR is one of the most fast-paced forms of mental health care and you’ll typically begin to see improvements in your life fairly soon after starting.
2. Improvements in Your Relationships
People often think about mental health as something that only impacts their own inner life. But in reality, when you don’t feel good you’ll typically have trouble truly connecting with others. People generally aren’t aware of the ways in which they push people away when they’re not feeling like themselves. But conversely, people do notice when improvements in their mental health help to put a stop to those negative behaviors. When you feel good you tend to form connections with others. Your self-esteem grows as you overcome the weight holding you back, and even pain caused by stress headaches or muscle tension can fade away as the therapy progresses. All leaving you happier, healthier, and with a more inviting smile.
3. Working With a Scientific Framework
EMDR is one of the newer forms of mental health care and as such it incorporates many of the tools of modern scientific methodology. This leads to a more methodological approach to a patient’s treatment. Modernity speeds up the process, helps it grow more efficiently, and gives you metrics to work with that can show you how well it’s working.
4. Working With People You Can Trust
EMDR is a dynamic process that operates in large part on trust, built on experience, between therapist and patient. All of the previous points have worked up to an important aspect of EMDR. EMDR is a form of therapy where you know that the therapist is truly on your side. EMDR-based therapy relies on trust, dialogue, and most of all evidence for the efficacy of treatment. These points and more highlight the fact that EMDR therapy is built on a foundation of trust.
5. Improved Quality of Life
This is what it all builds up to. All of the other points are important and have inherent validity. However, each is a pillar holding up this final, central, point. EMDR’s benefits are more than singular elements. Rather, it’s an exponential and synergistic process. As you work through one element of your life with EMDR you’ll see benefits in all the others. And since you’re never working on just one element you’ll essentially see your progress escalate in multiple positive directions at the same time.
If you or someone you know has unrselvoled trauma, consider giving EMDR therapy a try.