The therapy process can be scary for anyone who has never gone to a session. Especially when it comes to the lesser-known types of therapy, such as EMDR. With other types of therapy, you almost know what to expect, generally speaking. You walk in and sit across from a therapist and talk about your current difficulties and what is on your mind. With therapy approaches such as EMDR, it might feel like you are walking into a completely unknown scenario.
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a revolutionary way to treat a variety of mental health concerns. Most notably, it completely transformed the way those who experienced a traumatic situation could learn to heal. It is an incredible way to process painful memories that can leave someone feeling haunted and hopeless.
While it may sound like a weird science experiment, it definitely is not. Still, though, trying or doing new things can be pretty scary. Regardless of why you are wanting to participate in EMDR, let’s go over what you can do to prepare for your first sessions.
Scheduling Your First Session
When you are ready to schedule that first session, it’s best to do it on a day when you aren’t as busy. The reason for this is that trying any new thing can be difficult and overwhelming for the mind. You’ll likely already be full of nerves and jitters walking into your first session (which is completely normal for any type of therapy when it is new.) By making sure your day isn’t already crammed pack and then adding a therapy session on top of that, you walk into the session with more of a clear head to focus on what you want to address with your therapist.
Learn Relaxation Techniques
Learning relaxation techniques is important no matter who you are. However, for EMDR, it can be especially useful to get your mind in a calm state. You don’t have to be able to focus or relax for too long – even five minutes at a time can be highly beneficial. By learning deep breathing exercises or meditation, you can use these to try and relax in the few hours or so before your first session.
Try Not To Think Too Much About It
We all do this. We start thinking about a future event and our brains go into overdrive. The event then becomes this distant but scary situation when we don’t know what is going to happen. Which can then cause our brains to become overactive when imagining what could happen.
Try not to stress too much about this. Your therapist will walk you through every step of the way and can explain what is happening and why.
Ask Questions
As therapists, we completely understand that sometimes counseling doesn’t make sense. If you aren’t trained to understand the human mind, it can sometimes feel like a weird science experiment. When you are confused about something or aren’t sure, don’t hesitate to speak to your therapist beforehand. There is no question that you could ask that would cause your counselor to judge you.
A lot of times, just asking about something that doesn’t make sense or is confusing can help ease our nervous systems.
How To Begin
If you are interested in learning more about the process of EMDR Therapy or how it could benefit you in trauma therapy, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. At our practice, you will be able to find a therapist who is trained and certified to practice EMDR and get you on the road to healing.
