Many potential patients and clients don’t go to therapy because they feel that “touching” their trauma would be overwhelming. Others have been in talk therapy for many years, but remain highly disturbed when they bring up the memory. When I first introduce the concept of trauma to clients, I ease into it by letting them know what it is and how it may be affecting their lives. Then I let them know it is their choice to address it or not. That’s when EMDR is explained to them. The explanation and their understanding of it may take a couple of sessions and serves two roles: establishing rapport and trust and helping them to fully grasp how EMDR works. As a Certified EMDR Therapist, you can then guide them through the 8 phases and be part of the wonderful and nearly miraculous healing aspect of this therapy.
Getting the right consultant is of paramount importance for therapists seeking to be certified in EMDR. In the beginning I was a bit hesitant to “go there” with clients for fear that I would “blow them up.” My consultant helped me understand that if I stayed true to 8 phases, my clients would heal. They did! Not only did my clients lose their trauma phobia, I lost my “phase 4 phobia” as well. I have provided consultation to therapists who were hesitant as I was to use EMDR. They now use it frequently and, for some, exclusively.