EMDR Therapy in Jacksonville

Trauma’s Role in Addiction Development

One of the oft-overlooked aspects of addiction is that many people who struggle with compulsive substance use have histories of untreated trauma, which often includes adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

Types of trauma that can precede the onset of an addiction include:

• Physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse during childhood
• Loss of parent due to divorce, incarceration, abandonment, or death 
• Intimate partner violence
• Military combat and acts of terrorism
• Being bullied or otherwise harassed
• Life-threatening medical conditions
• Serious automobile accidents
• Frequent exposure to the aftermath of traumatic events, such as what firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and other first responders often experience

Enduring one or more traumatic events can have a lasting negative impact on a person’s stress-response system. Commonly referred to as the “fight or flight” response, this involves automatic physical and psychological changes that occur when the body perceives a potential threat.

For many people, untreated trauma leads to permanent activation of these automatic responses. Over time, the subconscious sense of being permanently in danger can wreak havoc on a person’s mental health, cognitive capacity, and overall ability to function.

Though they may not even realize why they are doing so, people who have been living with untreated trauma may turn to alcohol or other substances in an attempt to calm their mind and temporarily escape their emotional pain. In situations such as these, this substance use can turn into an addiction. 

Our Programs That Offer EMDR Therapy

At Design Recovery, patients can participate in EMDR therapy at either the partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient levels:  

• Our partial hospitalization program (PHP) includes full days of care, five days a week. Patients receive an array of services, Monday—Friday, 9 a.m.—4:30 p.m. each day.
• At the intensive outpatient program (IOP) level, patients have the option of attending treatment either three or five days each week. Each treatment day includes three hours of programming. 

What to Expect in an EMDR Therapy Session

Your experience in an EMDR therapy session will vary depending on which phase of the process you are currently in. 

At the outset, your sessions will involve conversations with your therapist about setting appropriate goals for treatment, how EMDR works, and what steps you will be taking to achieve your objectives. This is also an ideal time to ask questions, so you can be sure that you understand the process and are aligned with your therapist.

When you have begun phase four, your sessions will involve focusing on a specific memory while rapidly moving your eyes back and forth as directed by your therapist. During this process, you will be seated in a comfortable chair while following the therapist’s finger, a pen, or another object. Once you have become desensitized to the traumatic memory, the therapist will help you associated the memory with a positive belief.

At the end of every session, your therapist will help you to process the experience and address any lingering emotional distress.

EMDR’s Integration in Addiction Treatment

Trauma can be both a precursor to and an effect of addiction. Regardless of when a person first developed this mental health challenge, failing to properly address it can undermine their ability to maintain lifelong recovery.

Some people enter addiction treatment with the understanding that their life has been impacted by untreated trauma. Others don’t even realize they have a history of trauma until they begin to explore the issues that contributed or have been exacerbated by their substance abuse problem. 

In both cases, EMDR can be a valuable component of effective addiction treatment.

At Design Recovery, we thoroughly review each patient’s history and needs, so that we can develop a truly customized course of care for them. We also continue to monitor each person’s progress throughout their time with us, so that we can address the effects of trauma and other concerns as they become evident. 

Other Therapies We Offer That Support EMDR Therapy in Jacksonville

In addition to EDMR, other services that may be included in a patient’s customized treatment plan at Design Recovery include:

• Individual therapy: Confidential conversations with a highly trained therapist
• Group therapy: Collaborative sessions involving a small number of other patients, with the guidance of an experienced professional
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): A goal-oriented approach that helps patients resolve self-defeating thought patterns, maladaptive behaviors, and problematic beliefs 
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): Therapeutic guidance to improve skills in the areas of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness
• Surf therapy: Building resilience and enhancing self-confidence while riding the waves with other patients and an experienced instructor
• Holistic therapy: Art, yoga, meditation, and vibroacoustic therapy sessions to promote comprehensive healing in mind, body, and spirit