Brainspotting And EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based and highly effective form of psychotherapy for desensitizing (removing or lowering distress) and reprocessing traumatic memories and material. The overarching principle is that the mind can heal from psychological trauma.
EMDR therapy allows us to efficiently clear out traumatic memories that have gotten stuck in our brains. In EMDR therapy, we intentionally and safely reactivate the memories linked to problematic beliefs, behaviours and symptoms so that we can change them. This diminishes and can even eliminate reactions to triggers. The process actually weakens the connection between what triggers you and your reaction, and this in turn reduces the associated distress and changes the meaning that the memory once had.
Through these changes, healing occurs. You’ll notice a reduction in symptoms, changes to unhealthy behaviour patterns, and slowly moving from being stuck in the past to being fully in the present.
Brainspotting therapy (BSP) was developed in 2003 by Dr David Grand, an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) Psychologist. It is an extremely effective mind-body therapy that is used for anxiety, depression, trauma and high performing athletes and actors.
BSP uses relevant eye positions, somatic awareness, focused mindfulness and the therapist’s attunement to process and release the stored negative experiences and traumas which underlie a wide range of emotional and physical problems. It is a brain-body based treatment which integrates well with other types of therapies.
Scientists suggest that Brainspotting targets the right hemisphere, the brain stem, and the limbic system. It appears to bypass your brain’s “logic” sections and tap directly into the emotional ones. That’s the power of this incredible technique; it allows you to access your brain’s raw emotions about the trauma, unconsciously and consciously, instead of the thought the logical parts of your brain have formed around it. Brainspotting allows your brain’s own ability to heal itself to access the troubling event where it is held in this deeper part of your brain and rewire it so all the unpleasant thoughts, emotions, and body sensations associated with the troubling event resolve completely.
Brainspotting simplifies all of that chaos and trauma. It allows you to file, label more easily organize all of the difficult and challenging events in your life, so the hard drive of your mind runs smoothly, seamlessly, and glitch-free. If you are interested in Brainspotting or EMDR, book a consultation with our registered psychotherapist, Cathy Lumsden.
What to Expect with our Psychotherapists
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Meet & Greet
This is an opportunity to meet one another, share the reason you’ve reached out for therapy, and discuss what working together would be like. Your psychotherapist will answer any questions that you have. You may have a preference for counselling, EMDR and or Brainspotting. Brief explanations of EMDR and Brainspotting will be provided. Your choices will always be honoured as we determine a plan for you. If it feels like a good fit and you decide that you’d like to work together, we’ll book your first appointment.
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Initial Consultation
During your first appointment, your psychotherapist will review consent, confidentiality. Assessment is an ongoing process throughout therapy, but your first session is dedicated to learning about you - the issue that has brought you to therapy, how it shows up in your life and how you manage, your strengths and values, and what it is that you are hoping to achieve with therapy.
A Zoom link will be provided for the sessions. This session will be a 60 minute session.
We will gather information to see if Brainspotting and/or EMDR are an appropriate form of treatment for you.
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Follow Up Consultation
All follow-up sessions will be 60 or 75 minutes which will be determined together. These sessions will involve an initial pre-talk and check-in in order to know what you’ve experienced since our last session.
The session will continue with treatment, and will end with any exercises or activities for you to do in between appointments. Periodically, you can anticipate a review of where things are at and progress towards goals, and as indicated, adjustment to goals or the treatment plan.
There is no specific timeline for the therapy process. Some people are able to get what they need after a number of sessions, others decide to continue with therapy after the issue that led them here is resolved so that they may continue to use this support or address other concerns.
If EMDR and/or Brainspotting are one of the treatment modalities that would be effective for you, a brief demonstration will occur so you can experience how it feels using the brain based therapies. We will work as a team in all sessions.
PSYCHOTHERAPISTS AT NATURAL ROUTE HEALTH
With over 35 years of experience, Cathy provides effective tools, skills, information and encouragement to find real solutions to real life problems. Cathy is trained in CBT, Adlerian psychology, Internal Family Systems, Mindfulness. She has extensive experience working with PTSD, trauma, anxiety, depression, stress, divorce, pain and general life issues. Cathy uses tools such as EMDR and Brainspotting to help people through their healing journey.
Cathy provides all services virtually.