EMDR Therapy Can Help You Overcome Depression
If you struggle with depression then you know firsthand how restrictive it can become. With what seems like no way out, you may feel stuck in a black hole with no light at the end of the tunnel.
Feeling hopeless is quite common in those with depression, especially if previous attempts at healing didn’t work.
If you’ve developed a belief that no matter what you do, you’ll always be depressed, then EMDR therapy is for you.
VDC-Counseling has found eye movement desensitization and reprocessing extremely effective in helping Virginia and Maryland residents overcome depression and heal their souls.
But, what is EMDR therapy and why is it so helpful?
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or, EMDR, is a psychotherapy treatment used in patients suffering from depression and PTSD. When we experience trauma, it can be difficult to process the confusion and emotions that linger.
In a nutshell, EMDR therapy uses eye movements conjoined with guided help from a trained and caring therapist in Arlington to assist you in working through pain from traumatic memories. Once you’re able to start processing what happened to you, you can begin your journey of healing. How does EMDR work on a trauma?
During your session, your EMDR therapist will ask you to recall your trauma. While simultaneously moving an object, such as a finger or pen, in front of you as your eyes track its direction. Similar to eye movement in REM sleep, doing so allows you to reprocess the memory until it is no longer triggering for you.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work As A Form of Depression Treatment?
Depression is an issue that is complicated at its core. Each person's depression may stem from a different circumstance, such as genetics, or life experiences.
Through our trauma, we may begin to tell ourselves certain beliefs that harm us and hold us back:
“Nobody understands what I’m going through”
“I’m going to be depressed forever”
“I don’t deserve help”
All of these negative thoughts or beliefs trigger our depression symptoms. Making us feel worse and often significantly impacting the quality of our lives.
EMDR therapy targets these beliefs and works alongside the body's natural healing processes to help us move through the pain, and then store it away. While you will still have those memories, they no longer sit at the forefront of your brain, weighing you down.
Working through negative thinking patterns and recounting the painful memories that led to their development in the first place, is effective at alleviating depression symptoms long-term by getting to their root cause. Many medical treatments only work to resolve the surface symptoms. While EMDR therapy recognizes the need to address underlying wounds at the core of depression.
EMDR Therapy Helps Treat Different Types of Depression
Like anything in the mental health field, depression comes in all shapes and sizes. For some, depression may be passed down from a family member. For others, they may have experienced an abusive or unstable childhood.
In addition, depression can manifest in both chronic, and acute symptoms. EMDR therapy is effective at treating various forms of depression and giving patients their lives back.
Major Depressive Disorder
Many long-term symptoms of major depressive disorder stem from traumatic childhood experiences. Since EMDR is incredibly effective at treating patients with PTSD, researchers found high success in treating patients with major depressive disorder by working through those painful memories.
Reactive Depression
EMDR is effective at treating reactive depression by focusing on reprocessing the event at the root of the depression. By working through reprocessing, patients showed success in becoming desensitized to the lingering symptoms brought about by trauma.
PTSD With Comorbid Depression
Simply put, it makes logical sense that the depression occurring at the same time as PTSD would effectively be treated with EMDR therapy. Since this type of treatment was originally created for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. EMDR helps patients process unsettling memories, and by doing so, relieves the depression that follows closely behind.
Grief From a Loss
It’s completely normal to feel grief after experiencing a loss. EDMR can make those emotions feel less intense and overwhelming. Taking even the slightest edge off of the devastating effects of grief can provide immense peace for some.
Final Thoughts From An EMDR Therapist
Starting any new mental health treatment can be a daunting task. Remind yourself there are trained depression and EMDR therapists who dedicate their entire lives to helping you feel better. If you feel like your depression sits in the driver's seat, it may be time to think about taking your life back.
Rest assured, if you live in Virginia or Maryland and you suffer from PTSD or depression, EMDR therapy can help.
Ready to Start Depression Treatment & EMDR Therapy?
If you are ready to address the root cause of your depression then VDC-Counseling can help. With the help of our EMDR therapist, you can reduce the impact of negative memories on your life. Through online therapy, we can help you whether you are in Virginia or Maryland. In order to get started follow these simple steps:
Contact us to speak with our depression and EMDR therapist
Schedule your first appointment for EMDR Therapy and Depression Counseling
Start living a life free of depression
Other Services At VDC Counseling in Virginia & Maryland
Depression counseling and EMDR are not the only Counseling services we offer through online therapy in Maryland and Virginia. We also provide anxiety treatment, individual therapy for work-life balance, and therapy for burnout and stress relief. Our caring online therapist also provides therapy in Italian. We look forward to hearing from you!
