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EMDR Services in Albuquerque New Mexico

Professional Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Services in Albuquerque, New Mexico

EMDR is a form of therapy that lessens the psychological impact of traumatic memories using a process called bilateral stimulation. EMDR is most often used in treating PTSD, which is why the treatment was initially developed. It has shown promise in treating anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and other PTSD-related conditions.

EMDR treatment programs are rigidly structured so that the therapist can pre-plan sessions in detail, and the patient knows what to expect. The exact EMDR routine depends on the patient, their healthcare provider, and their treatment goals.

Our EMDR Services:

  • Each EMDR session lasts about 60 minutes
  • EMDR is an eight-phase treatment combining different elements to maximize its treatment effects in each session.
  • EMDR therapy may be used within standard talk therapy, as adjunctive therapy, or as a treatment all by itself.
  • You should walk away from your EMDR sessions with a new perception of your trauma.
Intense trauma can happen to anyone. EMDR is widely considered one of the best therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and it has been endorsed as an effective treatment by many organizations.

How Does EMDR Work?

Modern EMDR techniques are informed by decades of study, as the practice first came to be in 1991. It was initially developed as a way of treating post-traumatic stress.

EMDR advocates believe that accessing painful memories enables the patient to process and heal. Meanwhile, the simultaneous focus on external stimuli (eye movements, hand tapping, audio cues, etc.) disrupts the neurological networks associated with the memory, effectively making it less intense and menacing.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing in Albuquerque New Mexico
EMDR Therapy

Find an EMDR Provider

As with any other form of therapy or medical care, it’s absolutely critical to find a healthcare provider who understands your needs.

If you’re looking for EMDR in New Mexico, contact us to discuss your options. Our caring, highly qualified staff can tailor a treatment program to meet your needs and goals, which may involve pairing EMDR with other forms of therapy.

While it is possible to attempt EMDR-like treatments at home, engaging with a qualified behavioral health therapist is a crucial aspect of clinical EMDR treatments.

The highly qualified behavioral health therapists at Sage Neuroscience Center provide EMDR services in Albuquerque as an outpatient program at their state-of-the-art facility or can provide EMDR treatments as a telehealth service, allowing you to work with your therapist remotely.

What Are the Steps of EMDR Therapy?

EMDR treatment is highly structured, and each treatment plan is built and informed by an eight-step process.

  1. History and Planning – Your provider will get a complete health history and may ask about the traumatic experiences that led you to seek EMDR treatment. Be prepared to share your fears and triggers, but also your visions and long-term plans for post-treatment life. They will analyze this information and begin to plan your EMDR treatment.
  2. Preparation – In this step, your therapist will explain how the treatment will work and what may be required of you. This is a good time to ask questions. This is also when you and your therapist make sure you have adequate support systems in place throughout the duration of treatment.
  3. Assessment – Your therapist will ask you a series of questions, allowing them to analyze and assess your traumatic memories. This is where you’ll create your baseline measurements on the Subjective Units of Disturbance and Validity of Cognition scales.

What Are the Steps of EMDR Therapy?

These are important metrics by which your progress will be tracked throughout the course of EMDR therapy. SUD measures how bad your traumatic memories make you feel while VOC measures whether, and to what extent, you believe the memories to be accurate.

  1. Desensitization – You will be asked to focus on your traumatic memory while engaging in eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation. Desensitization is the core of the EMDR process and may be repeated until the traumatic memory is no longer powerful enough to impact your mood or ability to function normally.
  2. Installation – This is the process by which the positive outcomes of an EMDR session are focused upon and reinforced.
  3. Body scan – Next, your therapist will test for any physical response that occurs while focusing on your traumatic memories. Additional EMDR or other forms of therapy may be planned.
  4. Closure – If the traumatic memory is not fully neutralized, your therapist will give you additional instructions for self-care, recommend another EMDR session, or suggest other forms of therapy.
  5. Re-evaluation – More EMDR sessions take place or a therapist may decide on an alternative mode of treatment.

Is EMDR Only for PTSD?

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy was initially developed and used explicitly for the treatment of post-traumatic stress and its symptoms. Since its emergence in the 1990s, EMDR has shown promise in treating a variety of other conditions.

Test-taking anxiety

In 1995, EMDR was a brand new concept and studies were being conducted to see if it had applications beyond post-traumatic stress. One found a correlation between bilateral stimulation and students feeling less anxious about taking a test.

Phobias

Post-traumatic stress is often linked to nightmares and irrational fears, so it makes sense that EMDR could be successful in treating phobias.

Phantom limb pain

Five patients who had lost limbs were placed in a study wherein EMDR treatment was administered. Phantom limb pain is a phenomenon where an amputee feels discomfort, sometimes severe, in the vicinity of the missing limb. The results were impressive, with four of the five patients reporting complete elimination of phantom limb pains, and the fifth experiencing a reduction in pain levels.

Dermatological issue

Consider the link between stress and dermatological issues and disorders; acne outbreaks can be managed with EMDR. This logic was supported by the results of a study. Every patient participating showed a quantifiable improvement in their symptoms.

EMDR Services in Albuquerque New Mexico

If you’re interested in learning more about EMDR services here in New Mexico, or are ready to schedule an assessment, contact the Sage Neuroscience Center today. Sage Behavioral Health Therapists help patients with therapeutic services, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing along with other methods.

EMDR Services in Albuquerque New Mexico

You can receive state-of-the-art EMDR therapy at our outpatient facility in Albuquerque and also create a telehealth plan that allows you to access our providers from the comfort of your own home.

 

For more information about our services, contact us today at

1 (505) 884-1114

Our mission at Sage Neuroscience Center is to create collaborative teams of healthcare providers to engage those we serve to achieve sustainable wellness.

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