Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

At Gateway to Prevention and Recovery, we offer a new nontraditional form of pschotheraphy called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR allows the mind to fully process events and sort out negative emotions and behaviors that resulted from a trauma. During an EMDR session, our clinicians will focus less on the traumatic event and more on the emotions and behaviors that developed as a result. In this way, negative emotions and behaviors that are no longer needed as a coping mechanism will be replaced with new positive thoughts and feelings to encourage better reactions in social environments.

In the early phases of treatment, your EMDR therapist will assess your problems, symptoms, and triggers. We will then work together to determine a plan on which feelings and thoughts are healthy, and which are negative and should be replaced with a positive thought or emotion. This will begin a guided process of desensitization. The later phases of treatment are devoted to strengthening these new positive thoughts and emotions.

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