“EMDR is psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences.” – emdr.com

You can think of like when “a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain.  Once the block is removed, healing resumes.  EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes.  The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health.  If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering.  Once the block is removed, healing resumes.” –  emdr.com

Cognitive Processing Therapy is an evidenced-based therapy shown by research to be successful in treating trauma and is similar to CBT.  This approach focuses on how beliefs are developed from traumatic experiences and how they negatively impact us today.  These feelings can include not feeling safe, lacking trust, reduced sense of power, feeling little to no control, low self-esteem or esteem for others, and not feeling comfortable with intimacy (which can also include difficulty feeling emotionally close to someone).  This therapy has a specific and ordered series of session topics and exercises that build upon the other. By the end, the negative beliefs are altered so the client can move forward with a healthier understanding of trauma and experience positive changes in their life.

Another evidenced-based trauma therapy, this approach moves slowly and at the client’s pace. It also has a specific and ordered series of session topics, including exercises that build upon each other. Prolonged Exposure Therapy focuses on the brain and body’s reactions when the trauma occurred and how they continue re-occurring as if the trauma were happening today. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, “People with PTSD often try to avoid anything that reminds them of the trauma. This can help you feel better in the moment, but not in the long term. Avoiding these feelings and situations actually keeps you from recovering from PTSD. PE works by helping you face your fears.” This approach gradually leans into the uncomfortable feelings that arise when recalling traumatic experiences and retrains your brain and body to calm their reactions through repeated practice. By the end of therapy, the goal is to recognize that you are not in danger today and do not have to avoid or fear the memories.

A processing approach that targets thinking patterns and how they negatively impact your life. It is one of the most commonly used therapies because of its versatility with various diagnoses. The techniques target unhelpful thoughts, the related emotions, and reactions to them. Through exercises and worksheets, you begin to change the negative thinking patterns into more positive, adaptive thoughts. According to APA.org, “Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life.”

This approach tends to involve shorter-term treatment because the focus is on the present and future. Any discussion about the past is brief. SFT is a more analytical approach where you identify clear and measurable goals for yourself, assess your strengths and how to use them, experiment with different potential solutions, and develop a plan to move forward. Psychology Today described this therapy approach as having the “. . .assumption that people have the strength, wisdom, experience, and resilience to effect change.”

Similar to CBT but uses more practical techniques to manage high emotional distress. The thoughts linked to such distress are often described as feeling like being stuck in a looping cycle and being controlled by emotions.
As described by the Cleveland Clinic, DBT focuses on use of:

• “Mindfulness: This is the practice of being fully aware and focused in the present instead of worrying about the past or future.
• Distress tolerance: This involves understanding and managing your emotions in difficult or stressful situations without responding with harmful behaviors.
• Interpersonal effectiveness: This means understanding how to ask for what you want and need and setting boundaries while maintaining respect for yourself and others.
• Emotion regulation: This means understanding, being more aware of and having more control over your emotions.”