Understanding and Healing with EMDR: A Path to Peace and Freedom

Written by Michelle Robertson, APC

To read more on EMDR tap this link.

Do you ever notice your nervous system responding at a higher level than the given situation may warrant? For example, your boss asks for your opinion during a work meeting, and you think your opinion is valuable, but you are flooded with fear at the thought of expressing it. Perhaps you notice a pattern of behaviors that you just can’t stop repeating: whether that is isolating yourself from social situations or consistently choosing the “wrong” person to date - only to stay with them despite their fluttering red flags. It could be that you have maladaptively stored experiences. The good news is that EMDR can help you process those memories while gaining a sense of peace and calm in the world. 

Wouldn't you like to live the life God planned for you to live instead of living it in survival mode? 

If you have recently researched counselors or are currently working with one, then you have likely heard the term EMDR. And, you may be wondering what it is and how it can help you.  EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, which is a highly effective therapy for many mental health challenges including but not limited to anxiety, depression, self-esteem, chronic pain, and PTSD. In fact, the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs endorses EMDR as one of its best practices in assisting combat veterans. But you don’t have to be diagnosed with PTSD or have survived a “Big T” trauma to reap the benefits of this excellent therapy.

When I was first learning about EMDR in order to practice it in my counseling office, it helped me to understand the framework. So before diving into the details of this treatment, I will introduce the theory behind it known as the Adaptive Information Processing Model or AIP. In a nutshell, our memory networks are the foundation of our mental well being and the symptoms that show how we miss the mark. 

The Adaptive Information Processing Model or AIP

I’d like you to think of your brain and nervous system as the processor and storage area of the multitude of experiences you have in your lifetime. And I’d like you to think of each experience as a stored memory. Every experience, whether good or bad, is ideally processed and filed in your adaptive memory network. When you consider the word adaptive, what comes to your mind? I like to think of adapting as living life on life’s terms, or living as though I really trust God!  We want to feel confident that our opinions at work will bring value to our colleagues and not feel threatened to share them. We want to RSVP with a “yes” to that party invite despite not knowing anyone because that’s the way we actually get to know people. And we want to pay attention to red flags in relationships while feeling empowered to set and maintain boundaries. That’s living a healthy life and adapting to the changes we have no control over. Perhaps we can respond rather than react because we have gained wisdom and confidence in how to navigate our journey through our past adaptively stored experiences. 

However, there are times when our experiences fail to process adaptively. By continuing on the theme of our nervous system being the processor and storage area of our experiences, consider each memory as an individual file in your brain. In this case, a failure to process would render the file without a proper location to store it. It would get stuck in your nervous system like a corrupted file on your computer. And we all know how corrupted files can impact the operations of our computers! 

How do experiences get stuck? 

How do experiences get stuck? If you are in a state of heightened arousal then your brain simply isn’t working at full capacity. If you experience an adverse event, you are likely in fight or flight mode at the time. This could be a traumatic experience like sexual assault, the witnessing of a fatal accident, or military combat. This could also be something much more mild like forgetting your lines in the school play or being rejected by someone you really like. Certainly, forgetting your lines in the school play doesn’t seem mild when you’re in that moment nor does being rejected. But, if those experiences were adaptively processed then you could gain wisdom and perspective from them. If your brain wasn’t working at full capacity during the event, then you would fail to get the full picture. There’s missing data, so to speak.  As such, your brain doesn’t know where that file belongs, and so it gets stuck. 

You are probably wondering about the impact of a maladaptively stored memory. Our five senses, our thoughts, our emotions, the sensations in our body, and our beliefs - those are all associated with every memory. Let’s use the example of forgetting the lines in a school play and that it failed to adaptively process. Whatever we saw, heard, smelled, touched, thought about, emotionally felt, and what we believed are each elements of this experience. And so, if any one of those elements occurs in the future, the nervous system may become activated the same way it did the day the lines of the play were forgotten. Fast forward to a work meeting many years later when your boss asks for your opinion and immediately you see the same blank faces waiting for you to speak, feel the same level of discomfort and the same rapid rhythm of your heart beat, along with the belief of “I’m incompetent!” as you did in the school play. Your nervous system freezes exactly the way it did on that dreadful day in school when you forgot your lines. 

EMDR helps process stuck memories

The work you do with a therapist through EMDR can give you a new perspective through processing your stuck memories. It can help you see the full picture and generate new insights as those memories get stored in their proper directory. Does EMDR delete anything? Absolutely not! But it does neutralize the physiological disturbance of target memories and helps you reintegrate them with similarly themed experiences so they become adaptive. 
I have had the honor of using EMDR protocols to assist clients in processing various target memories. Some of which were life-threatening, deep wounds from childhood, incidents of bullying, mistakes made in school or work. Some were experiences that could mimic a Hollywood movie production, and some would seem to the outside observer to be but a mere blip on the radar. None of the specific experiences are the same; however, all of the stuck memories made a lasting negative impact…until they were processed. I have been the one on the couch guided by EMDR to successfully reintegrate my stuck memories; I have witnessed the value it has brought to others and experienced the benefit of EMDR myself. 

After witnessing the successful processing of clients’ target memories I have heard them say: 

• “It’s like the image in my mind when I think about that memory has faded.” 

• “It’s there, but it doesn’t give me heart-palpitations like it used to.” 

• “It’s over!” 

• “They were just kids, they didn’t know how much it hurt me.” 

• “It’s like I can see the whole thing now.” 

• “The memory is less vivid for me.” 

• “I’ve noticed I’m less fearful about things now.” 

• “I DO belong!” 

Brief History and Evidence Base 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR was discovered in 1987 by the late psychologist, Francine Shapiro. She was walking while thinking about something heavy and she noticed as she was moving her eyes back and forth that she felt less distressed. She reflected on this and began her research. It has been over 35 years since Dr. Shapiro first discovered the significance of eye movements on distress levels. In those years, EMDR has shown its effectiveness through case studies, randomized clinical trials, and countless hours of therapists treating clients all over the world for a myriad of issues. As indicated previously, EMDR is utilized by the VA in treating combat veterans. Along with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, EMDR is recognized as an effective treatment by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association. 

What can you expect from an EMDR Session? 

EMDR is unique in its use of bilateral stimulation or BLS, whether that is from the client following with their eyes the hand movements of the therapist, gentle tapping on alternating sides of the body, or even sounds in one ear and then the other. The role of BLS, especially eye movements in EMDR is two fold. One is due to the desensitizing nature of the movements, which allows for you to process those often disturbing memories while feeling less overwhelmed. The other reason is that the movement is thought to mimic the way our eyes move in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. REM sleep is when the brain is thought to process our emotional experiences and memories. 

Getting ample rest before a test is often better than staying up and cramming until the last minute. Think about the wisdom in this common piece of advice: “Maybe you should sleep on it.” Doesn’t “sleeping on it” often help you gain a new perspective? We can’t know exactly why BLS works, but it has proven to be effective! 

More on what to expect in an EMDR Session

An EMDR session will focus on a target memory; your therapist will help you activate that memory by asking you a series of questions about the images, thoughts, feelings, and sensations in your body when recalling it. You will then, with the assistance of your therapist and the BLS, begin to process this memory. It’s challenging to put in words what that part is actually like because our brains process things differently. You may notice sounds, images, sensations, or thoughts. It could be like sitting in the passenger seat watching for the view to change. 

The beauty is that your brain will show you what it needs to show you in order to take this corrupted and stuck memory and organize it so it no longer negatively impacts you. It’s no longer distorted; you have the full and complete picture. It’s certainly not magic and frankly it’s not easy either. You are utilizing a lot of mental and emotional energy in this process. But your brain is doing most of the work on its own while you are noticing what comes up. That is because God created you to heal and so your brain follows its Great Designer! 

Before concluding, let’s pause to consider God’s handiwork 

Do you ever marvel at the magnificence of God’s creation? I do. And we are part of that: our bodies and brains and minds are amazing! One wonderful thing about how God created us is in our ability to heal. When we cut ourselves, the wound heals. The same is true of our minds, whether the cuts be from someone inflicting pain on us or from an embarrassing mistake we made ourselves. We cannot undo the past, but we can reintegrate those stuck experiences that may be interfering with our present. 

While trying to consider how to illustrate what stuck memories are like, I thought of the book of  Psalms and specifically how laments are structured. If you are not familiar with them, I invite you to read and study them. There is nothing hidden in their expressions of the depth of our human emotional experience; I feel understood when I read them. 

Most of the laments in The Psalms are structured in a way that begins with the psalmist’s expression of grief or sorrow, followed by a particular complaint about it, then there’s a request for help to conclude with the confidence that God can be trusted.  I’m thinking about our maladaptively stuck memories and how they are in the process of a lament but they missed the beautiful conclusion where God can still be trusted. That is the truth we want written on our hearts! 

In Closing 

The most amazing processor of information is our brain and we have merely scratched the surface of all there is to know about its function. We do know that how we interpret situations, whether they are good or bad, and especially while our brain is still developing, is absolutely pivotal to our mental health. And sometimes because our brains aren’t working at full capacity while we are emotionally flooded, we are unable to grasp the full reality of a situation. We cannot grow from it the way God intended. And those stuck memories can negatively impact our relationship with ourselves and others. With the help of a therapist and EMDR, you can process the things in your past that are interfering with your present. 

Cumberland Counseling Centers has, along with myself, several EMDR therapists who would be honored to partner with you as you work toward adaptively filing those stuck experiences. 

Written by, Michelle Robertson, APC, NCC

How EMDR Therapy Can Help You Heal from Trauma in Atlanta

To read more on EMDR, tap here.

Trauma can leave lasting effects on your mental and emotional well-being, making it hard to navigate daily life. If you’re struggling with trauma-related symptoms, finding the right therapy is essential. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based, highly effective treatment that has helped countless individuals heal from trauma. Whether you’ve experienced emotional, physical, or psychological trauma, EMDR therapy offered at Cumberland Counseling Centers in Atlanta may be the key to unlocking your healing journey.

What Is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR therapy stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is designed to help people recover from distressing life experiences. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR focuses on helping your brain reprocess traumatic memories so that they no longer cause emotional distress. This form of therapy is particularly effective for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and other trauma-related symptoms.

How EMDR Works

In EMDR sessions, your therapist will guide you through a series of eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation while recalling traumatic memories. This process helps to ‘unstick’ the memories from the emotional distress they cause and move them into more adaptive parts of your brain, allowing you to heal and feel more at peace with the past. Over time, many clients report significant reductions in trauma symptoms, including:

• Decreased anxiety

• Reduced flashbacks and nightmares

• Improved emotional regulation

• Better relationships and self-esteem

Why Choose EMDR for Trauma Therapy in Atlanta?

Living in a busy city like Atlanta can be overwhelming, and unaddressed trauma can make daily life even more challenging. EMDR is ideal for people in Atlanta looking for fast and effective trauma treatment. Because it doesn’t require you to talk extensively about your trauma, many people find EMDR therapy to be less intimidating than traditional talk therapy. Plus, you may start feeling relief after just a few sessions, making it a great option for those seeking faster recovery.

At Cumberland Counseling Centers in Atlanta, our therapists specialize in helping clients heal from trauma through EMDR therapy. We understand how trauma can impact every aspect of your life, and our goal is to provide compassionate, expert care to support you on your healing journey.

Who Can Benefit from EMDR?

EMDR is not just for people diagnosed with PTSD. Many individuals who have experienced significant life stressors—such as abuse, neglect, loss, or difficult relationships—can benefit from EMDR. It is especially helpful for those who feel stuck in their healing process or who have tried other therapies without success.

If you live in Atlanta and are dealing with symptoms like panic attacks, chronic anxiety, depression, or emotional dysregulation, EMDR therapy may be right for you. Our team at Cumberland Counseling Centers is equipped to help clients heal from:

• Childhood trauma

• Relationship trauma

• Loss and grief

• Anxiety and panic disorders

• Stress and overwhelm

Why Cumberland Counseling Centers?

At Cumberland Counseling Centers, we offer personalized care tailored to meet your needs. Our licensed therapists are trained in the latest trauma therapies, including EMDR, and we work to ensure that every client receives the highest quality care.

When you choose us for your EMDR therapy in Atlanta, you are choosing compassionate, evidence-based care. We help you navigate the complexities of trauma and mental health with a faith-based approach if desired, integrating Christian principles with clinical expertise for a holistic approach to healing.

Start Your Healing Journey Today

If you’re ready to take the next step in your healing journey, Cumberland Counseling Centers is here to help. Our team of skilled therapists is committed to helping you heal from trauma using EMDR therapy. Don’t let past trauma define your future—take control of your mental health today.

Contact Us for EMDR Therapy in Atlanta

Are you interested in learning more about how EMDR therapy can help you heal from trauma? Contact Cumberland Counseling Centers in Atlanta today to schedule an initial consultation. We are here to support you every step of the way as you find peace, healing, and restoration.

IFS Therapy: Embracing the Parts of Yourself for Emotional Healing

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy is an innovative therapeutic model that encourages individuals to explore and harmonize the various “parts” of themselves. By fostering self-awareness and emotional healing, IFS helps clients achieve a balanced internal state. This approach posits that our psyche is made up of different "parts," each with its own feelings, thoughts, and roles, and that these parts can sometimes conflict with one another.

The IFS Approach

In IFS therapy, clients learn to identify these internal voices or “parts,” which may represent various emotions, beliefs, or experiences. For instance, one part might embody fear, while another might represent confidence. By recognizing and understanding these parts, clients can develop a more compassionate relationship with themselves. This process promotes healing by allowing individuals to address inner conflicts and create a sense of internal harmony.

A significant aspect of IFS is the idea of the "Self," which is the core of a person’s being. The Self is characterized by qualities such as compassion, curiosity, and calmness. The goal of IFS therapy is to help clients access their Self and enable it to lead their internal family of parts, thereby facilitating healing and integration.

Why IFS is Effective

IFS has proven effective for various issues, including anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges. By focusing on self-discovery and understanding, clients often find new ways to cope with their emotions and foster healthier relationships with themselves and others. The therapy not only addresses symptoms but also delves into the root causes of emotional distress, allowing for profound personal transformation.

A Personal Journey with IFS

To illustrate the impact of IFS, consider the story of [Jessica], a 40-year-old woman who struggled with anxiety and feelings of unworthiness throughout her adult life. Despite her professional success and supportive relationships, Jessica often felt overwhelmed by an inner critic that told her she was never good enough. This inner voice frequently led her to doubt her decisions and avoid new opportunities, further entrenching her anxiety.

When Jessica sought therapy, she was introduced to IFS. At first, she was skeptical; how could talking to different parts of herself help her feel better? However, as she began to engage in the IFS process, she discovered that her anxiety stemmed from a young part of herself—her "inner child." This part was rooted in childhood experiences where Jessica felt neglected and unvalued, leading her to develop a harsh inner critic to protect herself from further emotional pain.

Through IFS sessions, Jessica learned to communicate with her inner child, acknowledging its fears and needs. She discovered that this part was merely trying to keep her safe but often did so in unhelpful ways. With the guidance of her IFS therapist, Jessica started to cultivate a compassionate dialogue with her inner child, reassuring it that it was safe to express its feelings and that she was now in a position to provide the love and support it craved.

As Jessica continued her IFS journey, she also uncovered another part of herself—her "achiever," which pushed her to work hard and succeed. Initially, this part had been beneficial, motivating her to strive for her goals. However, as Jessica recognized, it had also contributed to her feelings of anxiety and perfectionism. By fostering a relationship between her inner child and her achiever, Jessica was able to help them understand each other, leading to a more balanced approach to her ambitions and self-worth.

Over time, Jessica reported feeling a significant decrease in her anxiety levels. By embracing and integrating these parts of herself, she learned to recognize when her inner critic emerged and how to respond with kindness rather than harshness. This newfound self-compassion allowed Jessica to take on new challenges with a sense of calm and confidence.

Conclusion

If you’re ready to explore the different aspects of your identity and work towards emotional balance, our therapists at Cumberland Counseling Centers are trained in IFS and are here to support you through the transformative journey of that therapy process. Like Jessica, you can discover the power of understanding and harmonizing your internal parts, leading to profound healing and a more fulfilling life. By embracing the various aspects of yourself, you can cultivate a deeper sense of self-awareness and compassion, paving the way for a healthier relationship with yourself and others.

Take the first step on your journey today; the parts of you are waiting to be heard and understood.

Let’s talk about…attachment.

Written by: Andrea Paiva, Licensed Associate Professional Counselor

One of the follow up questions I get asked when telling people what I do for a living is “what made you want to get into that?” I normally have a moment of pause and inner dialogue. Hmm…how much should I share? It’s always fun to be two minutes into a conversation with someone new or a big group of people and all of the sudden I am sharing my life’s testimony of inner healing. Truly, I never mind it. It’s a joy to share what God has done. Some variation of how I was someone who lived with hopelessness, depression, anxiety, and low self esteem, and then Christ, along with the community of believers and therapy helped me to heal emotionally and spiritually. I always add, “How could I experience this healing and not share this hope with others?” It’s the greatest joy to walk in my God-given purpose as a mental health counselor.

It’s so like Him to use our greatest areas of suffering and make it into our ministry to others. 

A lot like my own story, healing often happens when we have corrective emotional experiences with others. When the brain has a moment and says, oh, I thought things were this way, but this new experience is allowing me to see things differently. For me, my relationship with God, with the body of believers and with my therapist was pivotal. In the context of counseling, the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist (the attachment) is the greatest predictor of change and healing. To put it plainly, relationships are empowering. Whereas, trauma produces a sense of powerlessness within us. 

1 Corinthians 13:3 highlights the importance of faith, hope and love in our walk with the Lord. These are the very things that trauma steals from people. It distorts the very vision of the person where it’s difficult to see how hope can come in once again. It warps the way we view ourselves, God, others and the world. Trauma seeks to isolate us. In that void, dark and alone, Is the breeding ground for the voices in our head to whisper “You’re all alone,” “Something is wrong with you,” “This is all your fault.” Where trauma paralyzes us, faith, hope and love empower us to move forward. When we are unable to hold that kind of hope, our therapist can, our community can, God can. 

 2 Corinthians 1:4 states, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 

As therapists, we get to play the role of new attachment figures for our clients. Having experienced the comfort that we receive from God as His children, we get to provide that comfort back to our clients in the context of the therapeutic relationship.

Attachment is a psychology term that means the emotional bond between a human and its parent figure or caregiver; it is developed as a step in establishing a feeling of security and demonstrated by calmness while in the parent's or caregiver's presence.

Unfortunately, not all of us got to experience that kind of attachment from our caregivers growing up.

To some of us, it’s the most foreign thing we could imagine.

 Forming this secure attachment with our clients in their suffering and pouring out the comfort God has given to us is an honor. To sit across from our clients in their most vulnerable moments and hold on to hope when their hope has been shattered makes this really sacred work. The psychology phrase “unconditional positive regard” is one of the skills that makes a therapist great and leads to the best outcomes for their clients. It’s the same unconditional love that God gives us, right in the middle of where we are, no matter what we’ve done, and who we’ve been that is healing. This kind of love says, “I see you, I believe in you and I’m not going anywhere.” This is attachment. This is empowering. Where trauma sought to disempower and discourage, this new relationship between client and therapist has the ability to restore faith, hope and love as God had originally intended in the beginning.

In my own experience, as a therapist who works with trauma, seeing my clients recognize when trauma memories no longer have a hold on them, seeing them no longer live with distorted thoughts of themselves and watching them walk in new found freedom is one of my favorite parts of this work. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else!

Written by: Andrea Paiva, Licensed Associate Professional Counselor