EMDR Therapy and Telehealth
Are you suffering from symptoms of PTSD, grief, anxiety, depression, or addiction and are interested in EMDR therapy BUT you’re hesitant about pursuing it now that counseling sessions are virtual? Great news! EMDR therapy can effectively be conducted via telehealth! And, we are currently offering EMDR therapy via telehealth through our Philadelphia office!
In-person therapy is not always accessible to everyone. Many people living with disabilities, chronic illness, or severe symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety face obstacles when it comes to attending in-office therapy sessions. Because of this, EMDR has been developed to remain accessible virtually since before the pandemic even began.
However, now that most of us are operating through telehealth, even more developments and tools have been created to improve effectiveness and offer a variety of treatment options.
One of the most important components of EMDR is Bilateral Stimulation (BLS): a rhythmic left-to-right movement pattern. When paired with focused reflection on a distressing event, BLS treats trauma symptoms by helping individuals experience a decrease in disturbance caused by the traumatic or stressful memory.
BLS leads to a more relaxed physiological state, the ability to push through feelings of being “stuck” in a distressing memory, decreased anxiety, and the ability to feel as if the memory is no longer an immediate threat or concern.
There are three main types of BLS: visual, auditory, and tactile. When it comes to telehealth, there are numerous options for clinicians who are administering EMDR to their clients. Visual options include a light bar that you follow with your eyes, moving them back and forth on the screen. Auditory options are plentiful as there are many playlists, songs, nature sounds, etc. that have been developed to include the left-right component as long as a client has access to headphones. Tactile options include various physical movements such as the butterfly hug, patting your knees, shoulders, or a surface with your hands. There are also several apps that individuals can download on their phones or computers to use to facilitate BLS for EMDR therapy.
The beauty of BLS in virtual EMDR is that there are dozens of variations and it is highly customizable!
You and your EMDR therapist will work together to find what works best for you. You are a unique individual and deserve the chance to collaborate to determine which intervention styles meet your needs! Find an EMDR trauma therapist that will work with you to discover what works best.
Safety is always our #1 concern. For some people, the comfort of their home may feel like the safest place they can be. Unfortunately, for others, this may not be the case. Everyone is in a different situation and we will absolutely take all aspects of safety into consideration before embarking on a therapeutic journey of trauma recovery with EMDR through telehealth. A trained trauma therapist will always commit to ensuring that you have the grounding and soothing skills necessary to proceed with the EMDR trauma protocol.
If you feel as if EMDR therapy could be a beneficial PTSD treatment for you, or you’re interested in learning more about trauma recovery, please reach out to one of our EMDR therapists at Spilove Psychotherapy.
About the author:
Jordyn Occhipinti (she/her) is a graduate from Temple University with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology. Working towards licensure, she is trained in EMDR therapy, is experienced with alcohol and substance addiction recovery, and has demonstrated a commitment to providing affirming care to LGBTQIA+ individuals. With a trauma-informed, strengths-based, and multi-cultural humility approach, she has worked with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families of diverse backgrounds. She believes firmly in the resiliency and potential for growth in all of her clients and works towards empathetically empowering them to see their own strengths. She honors the healing power of humor and diving deeply into what brings us joy and pleasure as a form of self-care. She has experience running groups for LGBTQIA+ identified individuals to process through gender and sexuality-based trauma within a community support system. Using interventions from EMDR, DBT, CBT, Narrative Therapy, and Ego States, Jordyn helps her clients work through depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction.