EMDR Therapy Calgary:
Professional EMDR Therapists
Transform painful memories, conquer anxiety, and reclaim your life with EMDR therapy in Calgary.
What Is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy?
Life's challenges can leave lasting impressions that weigh heavily on your mind and heart. If you're finding it difficult to move past distressing memories or emotions, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy might offer the healing path you're seeking.
How EMDR Works
EMDR is a psychological approach designed to help process and overcome the emotional distress associated with traumatic or unsettling experiences.
Developed in 1987 by psychologist Francine Shapiro, EMDR began when she noticed that certain eye movements reduced the intensity of her own disturbing thoughts. Intrigued by this discovery, she researched and refined the technique, leading to its adoption by therapists worldwide.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn't require you to dive deep into the details of your past. Instead, it uses guided eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation to activate your brain's natural healing processes. This method helps reduce the intensity of painful memories, allowing you to develop more positive beliefs about yourself and your experiences.
Proven Results
Today, EMDR is recognized and endorsed by major organizations like the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization for its effectiveness. Extensive research, including over 24 randomized controlled trials, supports EMDR's positive effects.
With EMDR therapy, you're tapping into a method that's helped countless individuals, couples, and families reclaim peace and move forward with confidence. It's a step toward healing that honors your experiences while focusing on resilience and growth.
Who Can Benefit From EMDR Therapy?
EMDR can be can be particularly effective when you feel "stuck", or when traditional therapy methods haven't brought the relief you hoped for.
Even if you're not fully aware of what's causing your current struggles, EMDR can address the subconscious memories influencing your emotions.
At Emotions Therapy Calgary, we use EMDR therapy to help people dealing with:
Anxiety: When worries and stress feel overwhelming, EMDR can help reduce these feelings by addressing their underlying causes.
Grief: Processing complex emotions after a loss can be challenging. EMDR offers a gentle way to work through your grief.
Anger: If you're experiencing unexplained anger or irritability, EMDR can uncover and heal the hidden triggers.
Trauma: Whether you have specific traumatic memories or a general sense of unease, EMDR can help alleviate the distress associated with these experiences.
Relationships: Past events can impact your current relationships. EMDR can help you break negative patterns and foster healthier connections.
Heal Emotional Trauma & Distress
With Professional EMDR Therapy in Calgary
If you're curious about EMDR and how it might fit into your healing process, we’re here to provide insights and answer your questions. Book your no-obligation consult today.
Your EMDR Therapy Journey: Step by Step
1. Building a Foundation
The EMDR process begins with your therapist getting to know you - your history, challenges, and what you hope to achieve. This understanding allows them to personalize the therapy to your unique needs.
2. Preparing Your Emotional Toolkit
Before diving into the core work, your therapist will equip you with coping strategies and emotional regulation techniques. Think of these as tools you can use anytime to feel safe and grounded, both during and between sessions.
3. Identifying the Targets
Together with your therapist, you'll pinpoint specific memories or issues causing distress. You’ll identify the vivid images, negative beliefs, emotions, and sensations connected to the experience.
4. Desensitizing & Reprocessing
While you focus on a troubling memory, your therapist will guide you through bilateral stimulation - usually by moving their fingers for you to follow with your eyes, or by tapping.
This process helps your brain reprocess the memory, reducing its emotional impact. It's like helping your mind heal itself, allowing you to move forward without being weighed down by the past.
5. Strengthening Positive Beliefs
As the distress fades, you'll work on reinforcing the positive beliefs you want to adopt. This helps replace negative thought patterns with empowering ones, boosting your confidence and well-being.
6. Tuning into Your Body
You'll check in with your body to notice any lingering physical sensations. Addressing these helps ensure that both your mind and body are healing together.
7. Wrapping Up Each Session
Each therapy session concludes with techniques to help you feel calm and secure. You'll leave with strategies to manage any emotions that arise, empowering you to continue healing between each EMDR treatment.
8. Reviewing & Moving Forward
At the start of each new therapy session, you and your therapist will reflect on your progress and adjust the approach as needed. This keeps the therapy aligned with your goals and ensures you're moving in the right direction.
Why EMDR Therapy Stands Out
Rapid Relief
Many people notice improvements in fewer counselling sessions compared to talk therapy and other traditional methods.
Deep Healing
EMDR helps your brain process and store memories in a new, less distressing way, and can lead to permanent, positive changes.
Empowered Control
You’ll gain new coping skills, improved self-awareness, and a stronger sense of control over your emotions.
Our Comprehensive Approach to Counselling
At Emotions Therapy Calgary, we believe in treating the whole person. That’s why our Calgary EMDR therapist team integrates EMDR with other proven therapies to provide you with both short-term relief and long-term change. Here's how each of these approaches works:
CBT
We use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you challenge negative self-judgements and reduce worry and rumination.
Flash Technique
For especially painful memories, we use this gentle method to reduce distress without requiring focus on the memory.
ACT
We use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help guide you toward a more meaningful, values-driven life.
Professional EMDR Therapists in Calgary & Alberta
Hi! I'm Rod Mitchell, a Registered Psychologist and the founder of Emotions Therapy Calgary.
At our clinic, we've witnessed the power of Calgary EMDR therapy time and time again. It's not just a treatment method; it's a pathway to profound healing that we're passionate about offering to our clients.
We've seen individuals who felt stuck for years suddenly break through their emotional barriers with EMDR. It's truly remarkable to watch as past traumas and negative beliefs lose their grip, allowing people to move forward with newfound skills and freedom.
We believe in our EMDR services because we've seen their life-changing results firsthand. It's an honor to guide our clients on this journey of healing.
If you’re ready to start, the first step is to contact us and schedule a free 20-minute consultation. Let’s talk about how we can help you reclaim the life you deserve.
TESTIMONIALS
Frequently Asked Questions
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Absolutely. While EMDR is well-known for treating trauma and PTSD, it's an effective counselling approach for a wide range of emotional challenges, such as depression, anxiety, anger, & grief.
Even if you haven't experienced a significant trauma or traumatic event, EMDR can help with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and relationship issues. It's particularly useful for addressing lingering effects from past experiences that you might not even realize are impacting you today.
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Yes, many people find success with EMDR even when other therapy or counselling approaches haven't provided the relief they were seeking. EMDR works differently from traditional talk therapy, directly targeting how memories are stored in the brain. This unique counselling approach can often break through barriers that other treatments haven't been able to address.
EMDR is particularly effective for people who feel "stuck" in their healing journey. It can help process emotions and experiences that may be deeply rooted or subconscious, which talk therapy alone might not reach. Many of our clients who've tried therapy or counselling before report that EMDR was the key to unlocking significant breakthroughs in their treatment process.
Research also indicates that EMDR is as effective in virtual sessions as in-person sessions.
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Many clients report feeling a difference after just a few counselling sessions. However, the length of treatment varies depending on your individual needs and history.
Some people find relief from a specific issue in as few as 6-12 counselling sessions, while others with more complex histories may benefit from longer-term treatment. We'll work together to establish goals and regularly assess your treatment progress.
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EMDR is designed to be a gentle and safe process. While you may experience some emotional discomfort as we address difficult memories, the counselling is structured to help you process these experiences without becoming overwhelmed.
Our therapists are trained to ensure you feel safe and in control throughout the treatment process. Many clients actually find EMDR less distressing than traditional talk therapy when dealing with trauma, PTSD, or traumatic memories.
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No, you don't need to share every detail of your trauma in your counselling sessions. EMDR allows for processing of trauma without necessarily verbalizing all aspects of the traumatic event.
You're always in control of what you share in your counselling sessions, and our therapists are skilled at guiding the process with minimal verbal input when needed.
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EMDR doesn't erase memories or change who you are. Instead, it helps reduce the emotional charge associated with trauma or distressing memories, allowing you to think about past experiences without feeling overwhelmed.
Many of our counselling clients report feeling more like their true selves after EMDR, as they're no longer held back by past traumas or negative beliefs.
Your Path to Emotional Wellness Starts Here
If you're feeling uncertain or nervous about starting therapy, you're not alone. Many of our clients felt the same way before taking that first step. That's why we've created a friendly, no-pressure process to guide you to your first session.
1
Reach Out
Fill out our brief contact form. Just your basic info and a few words about what brings you here – that's all we need to get started.
2
Free Consultation
We'll reach out to schedule a no-obligation 20-minute consult. We'll discuss your goals, answer questions, and ensure we're the right fit.
3
Start Therapy
If we align, we'll schedule your first session. Together, we'll begin developing your personalized plan for a brighter tomorrow.
EMDR THERAPY RESOURCES
OUR LOCATION
Considering EMDR Therapy in Calgary? Let’s Talk!
Our EMDR therapists are here to answer your questions and help you discover if EMDR is right for you.