When clients come to EMDR Therapy, the first phase includes history taking, symptom identification, and screening for suitability for EMDR Therapy. History taking involves considering things like family life, work-life, education, employment, medical history, self-care strategies, and conflicts, and challenges affecting functions. These challenges may include various symptoms resulting from anxiety, depression, and traumatic experiences, […]

What is an EMDR Intensive? An EMDR Intensive is when a client decides to do a session that may last 3-5 days, 6-8 hours per day, versus attending my office one or two hours per week.During these sessions, the client can take breaks as needed to eat, move around, take a washroom break, and in […]

General observations about EMDR therapy. EMDR is not unlike many other therapies in the sense that the client is the one who does their healing work. Often regardless of the approach, the therapist is guided by what the client is concerned about, and what they want to accomplish in therapy; and, it is the client […]

It seems to me that there is a lot of mystery about EMDR in the community. Not only that but there seems to be a bit of ‘contempt prior to investigation, a phrase I read in a self-help book. Why the confusion? Well, it seems that many people have heard of it, or maybe even […]

I’ve been thinking about the word ‘maladaptive,’ and how it is used in mental health. Meriam Webster online suggests the following definition of the word: marked by poor or inadequate adaptation. Alternatively, the Oxford Dictionary online describes maladaptive as failing to adjust adequately to the environment. While I am drawn to debate the matter of a) […]

I have decided to begin these weekly reflections as a sort of journal. The purpose is to share insights and occasional aha moments, questions that are often never quite black or white, experiences as a client over the years, and therapeutic observations from a therapist who is herself on a healing journey. Todays topic relates […]

People come to therapy for various reasons: Sometimes they want a diagnosis: ‘whats wrong with me?’ they ask. There may be reasons for wanting a diagnosis, such as: to qualify for services, for a court case, for an insurance claim, or for a better understanding of their symptoms. Sometimes they just want to talk and be heard […]

Making the link between EMDR and traditional Aboriginal healing ceremonies is conceptually easy for me. Traditional Aboriginal healing ceremonies being referred to here include the Sundance, sweats, and vision quests. EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, more currently being referred to as AIP – Adaptive Information Processing, is a trauma therapy developed by Francine […]