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EMDR Therapy in Tampa
If you or a love one are struggling with substance use disorder, call us now at 813-733-7604. Our rehab programs in St. Petersburg and Tampa can help those struggling put their health first.Â
How Does EMDR Therapy in Tampa Work?
EMDR for addiction consist of eight phases:
- History and treatment planning: Meeting with the EMDR therapist to discuss your past and identify your treatment goals.
- Preparation: Learning the procedures and techniques that are used during EMDR therapy sessions.
- Assessment: Determining the emotional and cognitive impact of traumatic memories.
- Desensitization: Moving your eyes rapidly while focusing on a specific distressing memory.
- Installation: Replacing negative responses to traumatic memories with healthier thought patterns.
- Body scan: Noting your physical response while recalling distressing moments from your past.
- Closure: Ending the session by returning to a relaxed state of mind.
- Reevaluation: Discussing the previous session at the start of a new session.
You can expect to progress through the eight phases of EMDR therapy during multiple sessions.
What is EMDR Therapy Like?
As noted above, EMDR therapy begins with a conversation to determine how you’ve been affected by traumatic memories. Identifying your needs and treatment goals is an essential component of EMDR therapy.
During the desensitization phase of EMDR therapy, your therapist will ask you to focus your mind on one specific painful memory. As you are doing this, you will be asked to rapidly move your eyes back and forth. You may follow the therapist’s fingers as they move to the left and to the right, or your therapist may use lights to prompt your eye movement. This activity is known as bilateral stimulation.
The eye movement that occurs during bilateral stimulation is similar to what happens during REM sleep, which is the stage of sleep when dreaming typically occurs. Experts believe that this movement may prompt neurobiological responses that allow people to more effectively process distressing thoughts and memories.
After each bilateral stimulation session, you will talk about how you feel when you think about the distressing memory. After multiple sessions, you will replace negative feelings with a healthier perspective.
How Can EMDR Help Treat Addiction?
In the decades since EMDR therapy was originally developed, research has identified it as a beneficial technique for people who have been living with a variety of mental health disorders and trauma, including addiction.
By treating underlying trauma, the person suffering from substance use disorder has less compulsion towards substances. Therapists trained in EMDR are taught to approach someone’s addiction from a trauma-informed way, allowing them to take a deeper look at the underlying traumatic incidents that may have contributed to addiction.
In addition, the primary benefit of EMDR therapy is that it empowers people to replace negative emotions and self-defeating beliefs with healthier and more productive ways of thinking. Patients who receive effective EMDR therapy report experiencing significantly less distress when recalling memories that were previously the source of considerable emotional pain.
Our outpatient detox in Tampa allows the person to come to us for treatment during the day and then go back home while attending other outpatient programs. This helps the person to achieve a balance between getting the important help they need and still being able to meet the responsibilities of their personal lives.
Our medical team monitors each person regularly for withdrawal symptoms. We can provide medical and psychological support to help ease them. This includes any necessary FDA-approved medications that ease the withdrawal process including medication-assisted treatment.
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Addiction and mental health disorder effects the lives of millions of Americans each year. Contact Creekside Recovery Group today to get the help you deserve.
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