WINNER 2024
307-686-9422
801 E 4th St Ste 14 A Gillette WY 82716
Fax: 307-686-3833
We are committed to short
term, solution focused therapy.
Dale Oedekoven, MA, LPC, LAT, NBCC
EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist
Owner
Ginny Oedekoven, MS, LPC, MH-LPC
EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist
Owner
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - EMDR Therapy
This therapy is based on the idea that negative thoughts, feelings and behaviors are the results of unprocessed memories. Once these memories are reprocessed using EMDR therapy they are stored in the way that non traumatic memories are. Following sucessful EMDR therapy you do not forget what happened but you do not have the emotional reaction to it any more. For example you may be able to tell the story to someone without crying or feeling sick or you will hear or see something that before triggered the trauma but you do not have any reaction.
Each person will process information uniquely, based on personal experiences and values. Sets of eye movements are continued until the memory becomes less disturbing and is associated with positive thoughts and beliefs about one's self; for example, "I did the best I could." During EMDR, the client may experience intense emotions but by the end of the session, most people report a great reduction in the level of disturbance.
Scientific research has established EMDR as effective for post traumatic stress. We also have success using EMDR in treatment of the following conditions: Panic attacks | Complicated grief | Disturbing memories | Phobias | Pain disorders | Performance anxiety / Stress reduction | Addictions | Sexual and/or Physical abuse | Body dysmorphic disorders
We know that when a person is very upset, their brain cannot process information as it does ordinarily. One moment becomes "frozen in time," and remembering a trauma may feel as bad as going through it the first time because the images, sounds, smells, and feelings haven’t changed. Such memories have a lasting negative effect that interferes with the way a person sees the world and the way they relate to other people.
EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information. Normal information processing is resumed, so following a successful EMDR session, a person no longer relives the images, sounds, and feelings when the event is brought to mind. You still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting.
EMDR appears to be similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. EMDR can be thought of as a physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing material in a new and less distressing way.
The current treatment guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies designate EMDR as an effective treatment for post traumatic stress. EMDR was also found effective by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, the United Kingdom Department of Health, the Israeli National Council for Mental Health, and many other international health and governmental agencies.
Research has also shown that EMDR can be an efficient and rapid treatment.
Generally EMDR is much shorter treatment than talk therapy. Each case is different but it is not unusual to have successful treatment in 4-6 sessions.
The type of problem, life circumstances, and the amount of previous trauma will determine how many treatment sessions are necessary. EMDR may be used within a standard "talking" therapy, as an adjunctive therapy with a separate therapist, or as a treatment all by itself.
You are fully present in EMDR Therapy it is NOT like hypnosis.
There is a very short, useful video on YouTube...search EMDR Australia and if you see 2 large pink eyes-that's the one! Its just a couple minutes long.