Patients undergoing Financial District EMDR therapy are challenged to engage in parallel thought processes. Anxiety results from a certain way of thinking. The other mental operation helps reduce stress. Over time, the patient’s anxiety about engaging in the stressful mental activity subsides as a result of the soothing action.
Without intentional eye movements, the patient can eventually think about the traumatic event or phobia without experiencing the overwhelming anxiety they formerly had. There are eight steps that therapists go through when using EMDR.
Find out more about EMDR and the steps involved in treatment so you know what to expect.
- The first step in treating anxiety is for the therapist to get to know the patient and their concerns and hopes for therapy. The therapist will also inquire as to how the patient copes with and responds to anxiety-inducing situations.
- The patient will be educated on EMDR and how it may benefit them in comparison to other methods. The patient will be given an opportunity to ask any EMDR-related questions.
The patient will be taught coping strategies to use throughout the high-anxiety parts of the treatment, such as providing alternative thoughts to focus on when the anxious ones become overwhelming.
- The patient will be asked to focus on the ideas that cause them the most stress throughout the evaluation phase. As a benchmark, the therapist will track the patient’s response. Some people may have difficulty recognizing their anxiety or exhibit bodily manifestations of anxiety, such as a racing heart or tense muscles. These preliminary responses will be used to evaluate the treatment’s efficacy later on.
- Desensitization procedures, such as having the patient follow a light or a finger with their eyes, are used to help patients overcome their fears, which the therapist will help them access again. The practice is repeated once the patient’s anxiety levels have dropped to a manageable level.
- If the therapist detects that their patient is becoming anxious, they may suggest that he or she replace negative thoughts with more positive ones.
- When the patient recalls upsetting memories or thoughts, the therapist will conduct a body scan to look for physical manifestations of anxiety. The therapist will use the patient’s bodily responses during the body scan as a measure of improvement over the control. The therapist will also make sure the patient is safe during treatment.
- The therapist will employ coping strategies to help the patient unwind after the ordeal.
- After the session, the therapist and patient will debrief to discuss the session’s outcomes and next steps. A therapist doing an evaluation for anxiety will not insist that a patient discuss past trauma. The patient, however, may choose to talk about it whenever they feel ready. Patients will never be pressured to reveal morbid thoughts.
