EMDR Therapy
EMDR has been used for decades to treat PTSD, the symptoms of anxiety, hypervigilance, irritability, nightmares, flashbacks, and personality changes which can sometimes follow traumatic events. In severe PTSD, the mind and body behave as if the traumatic event is happening over and over or could happen again at any moment. The mind seems stuck in a memory loop because the memories associated with the event haven’t been processed properly. The mind has not moved past the event.
In the same way that a “Big-T” trauma can cause high levels of anxiety, a “small-t” trauma can cause a lower level anxiety which can get in the way of your professional and performance goals. Some “small-t” traumas might be:
- a performance when you weren’t at your best
- an embarrassing situation at work
- an injury that has healed but the memory of it impacts your performance
- getting passed over for a promotion
- any memory of failure that won’t let you go
Even though painful events are few and far between for many people, sometimes our minds can’t let them go. The memories are triggered by people, places, sounds, smells, and in spite of our best efforts to suppress them, they affect our performance. You may find that one, two, or an accumulation of memories over the years has left you with a vague sense that something isn’t right. You may experience:
- Difficulty staying focused
- Distraction during performance
- Fear of failure
- Fear of success
- Anxiety before performance
- Avoidance of going for what you really want
After EMDR therapy, you will still remember the negative events, but your emotional reactivity to them will be reduced. They’ll recede into the past where they belong and you can move forward with your life.
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