EMDR Therapy Tampa FL

Benefits of EMDR Therapy

EMDR therapy can successfully help patients cope with traumatic events in their lives or problematic emotions. Research studies reveal that EMDR therapy allows patients to utilize both the left and right brain and offers a number of benefits. By learning better strategies for dealing with traumatic events in our pasts, we can alleviate the symptoms and side effects that these traumatic events have caused.

Through psychotherapy interventions, therapists can help patients adjust their trauma responses, channeling negative side effects or personality traits and introducing more positive ones. While you can't remove the memory of trauma, EMDR therapy allows you to reduce your reaction to the memory and the effects that it has on you.

Conditions Treated with EMDR Therapy

EMDR therapy is used to treat a variety of types of personality disorders and mental illnesses. This type of therapy is often used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as anxiety disorders, depression, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorders.

EMDR doesn't just treat the disorder that an individual is suffering from; it also helps to alleviate symptoms. These symptoms can range from panic attacks to more minor procrastination habits.

What to Expect During an EMDR Therapy Session

Like any type of therapy, EMDR is a multi-stage process. When you first begin trauma therapy, your therapist will work with you to gain an understanding of your background, including not just any traumatic events or mental challenges that you may have faced but also other factors that could be impacting your response to trauma, like sleep patterns, diet, or other stressors in your life.

The next stage in EMDR processing is about identifying your strengths and support system and developing coping skills or new thinking patterns to help you reframe your trauma. Once you and your therapist have established a history and helped you understand the support and strengths you have available to you, you'll begin to work on the therapy techniques that make EMDR so effective.

By establishing and strengthening your mind-body connection, your therapist will help you heal from your traumas and learn how to keep them from ruling your life.

Finding the Right EMDR Therapist in Tampa

When it comes to finding the best Tampa therapy option for you, there are a few things that you should look for. The first is finding a therapist who specializes in trauma therapy work and has experience treating patients suffering from many different types of trauma and mental health concerns.

Qualifications to Look For

When it comes to finding the right EMDR therapy practice, you'll want to make sure that the therapist you choose has the proper training and certification. In order to become EMDR-trained, therapists take an EMDRIA-approved course. This course includes at least 20 hours of instruction followed by 20 hours of practice under supervision and an additional 10 hours of group consultation once training is complete.

After this training, therapists can choose to become an EMDR-certified therapist. To do so, they'll need to meet with an approved supervisor for at least 20 hours, complete 12 hours of continuing education credits, and complete a minimum of 50 hours of EMDR sessions.

Questions to Ask Potential Therapists

There are a few questions you can ask a potential therapist to help you determine whether they are the right choice for you.

• How long have they been an EMDR-certified therapist?

• What percentage of their practice involves EMDR treatment?

• Do they have experience with grief therapy and working with patients who have experienced a loss?

• Are there any other approaches that they use, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

• Have they worked with individuals with dissociative disorders?

• Are there any types of trauma that they do not treat?

If you are a veteran suffering from PTSD, it's a good idea to ask the therapist whether they have experience working with veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the National Center for PTSD recognize EMDR therapy as an effective treatment option. Finding a therapist who understands the unique experiences of veterans may be better equipped to help you achieve your treatment goals.

Cost and Insurance Information

I do not accept insurance coverage at my therapy practice. In order for insurance to cover therapy, a diagnosis is necessary. This diagnosis becomes a part of your permanent health record, which could have negative consequences. Requiring a diagnosis may keep some individuals from seeking treatment. When you go through insurance, the insurance company also dictates how many sessions you have, how long the sessions are, and how long you'll receive treatment.

By not working through insurance, I am able to provide clients with customized and private care. The initial cost for a 90-minute session is $300. After that, 60-minute sessions are $200, 90-minute sessions are $300, and 120-minute sessions are $400.

I accept debit and credit cards as well as Health Savings Accounts. I can also provide a specialized insurance "receipt," called a Superbill. You may be able to use this bill for reimbursement through your insurance provider.