EMDR and You

By Jack Fox, M.A. Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia
Throughout our lives, we sometimes experience disturbing or distressing events. These events, which can be called traumas, can occur in the form of a big, life altering event (a “Big T” Trauma) such as a natural disaster or the death of a loved one, or in multiple smaller events (what are known as “Small T” traumas), like consistent negative comments from a loved one.
The traumas we experience in the past can affect the way we perceive current situations that feel similar to the traumatic situations. These triggering events can pull us back into the memories from our past, making it feel like we are reliving the same emotions and sensations we went through at the time of the event.

What is EMDR? 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is a form of therapy specifically developed to help reprocess the memories of these past traumatic experiences and help us store them in our memory in a more healthy or adaptive way. The negative beliefs associated with these experiences can be reframed to more positive thoughts about self. If you feel like there are events in your past that continue to affect how you are perceiving relationships or activities in a negative way, EMDR may be the way to finally move on from what feels like is keeping you stuck in your past!

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About Jack Fox:

Jack graduated from the College of William and Mary with a B.S. in Psychology and recently finished his graduate work at Regent University with a M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Throughout his studies, Jack has seen and worked with many clients, both adolescents and adults, struggling with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment issues, and even people with a desire to get to know themselves just a little bit better! The more Jack has worked with people, the more a simple truth has come to light: You are not alone!

Jack believes that success in therapy results from a combination of understanding first what is dysfunctional, then where the dysfunction comes from. Finally, changing a behavior resulting from the thoughts or emotions driving the dysfunction can result in truly powerful changes in life. He mainly uses Cognitive Behavior Therapy, EDMR, and Solution Focused Brief Therapy to help attain the goals of his clients. Through these techniques, Jack enters into relationship with his clients and gets to understand and hear their full story, providing a safe environment for vulnerability. To learn more about Jack, visit HERE.

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