Treat your trauma via EMDR.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy and is an evidence-based treatment for trauma and related disorders. It’s a treatment modality that utilizes bi-lateral eye movements to help the brain reprocess stressful past, present and future events. EMDR is a full system therapy, integrating emotions, physical responses, memories, core beliefs and current behaviors into one cohesive practice to promote symptom reduction.
EMDR taps into your brain’s natural capacity for self-healing and requires that trauma be “felt” instead of merely “talked through.” This is why traditional psychotherapies don’t always work for trauma, as we need to integrate both the body and mind to effectively work through these deeply stored experiences
The main goal of EMDR is to decrease the intensity of triggering events, leading to a more integrated and controlled sense of self.
At McCaskill Family Services in Plymouth, Michigan, our experienced therapists offer a full-system approach to EMDR. We integrate emotions, physical sensations, memories, core beliefs, and current behaviors into one cohesive practice to promote lasting symptom reduction.
Who can benefit from EMDR?
Many types of presenting problems can be treated using EMDR:
- Trauma (including complex trauma)
- PTSD: sexual assault survivors, first responders
- Phobias
- Personality Disorders
- OCD
- Depression
- Performance Anxiety
- Sleep problems
- Grief and loss
- Chronic pain or somatic disorders
- Substance use disorders
- Mildly distressing situations
What is trauma?
Trauma can loosely be defined as any situation that overwhelms the nervous system. This could be something as tragic as a car accident that results in fatalities, or something as small as getting a flat tire and feeling stranded. EMDR has been shown to be effective for any level of traumatic or stressful events.
EMDR believes that experiences from your past show up in your present in an incongruent or unhelpful way, but it’s not only limited to distressing memories or flashbacks. Trauma changes the way the brain functions, altering how people reason, feel, react, operate, and interact in their everyday lives.
How Trauma Can Present in Everyday Life
- Having emotional reactions that feel intense or sudden
- Displaying certain personality patterns/behaviors such as people pleasing, manipulation, introversion or hyper independence
- Memory weaknesses
- Irritability or defensiveness
- Lost sense of self or low self-confidence
- Issues with focus and/or cognitive fatigue
- Difficulty trusting others; avoiding relationships
- Exaggerated startle response or hypervigilance
- Unhealthy attachment patterns such as codependency or easy abandonment
- Somatic symptoms, including muscle tension and/or gastrointestinal issues
- Difficulty relaxing or “resetting”, always feeling “on edge”
- Ongoing feelings of intense shame or guilt
- Fears of conflict or abandonment
- Procrastination or indecision
- A need to be constantly busy
- Perfectionism or an intense need for control
- Sleep disruptions
- Emotional blunting, difficulty experiencing or expressing emotions
These symptoms may suggest underlining difficulties with stuck or repressed traumatic memories that may be shaping functioning in everyday life.
*Above symptoms listed are not solely related to/indicative of traumatic experiences and could be caused by other psychological conditions.
*Additionally, the above symptom list is not an exhaustive list of how trauma may show up in someone’s everyday life.
Why Choose McCaskill Family Services for EMDR Therapy in Plymouth, MI?
Finding the right trauma therapist is essential for your healing journey. At McCaskill Family Services, we combine advanced clinical expertise with a compassionate, highly individualized approach to help you process past experiences and achieve lasting relief.
Here is why individuals and families across Plymouth, Canton, and Wayne County trust us with their mental health care:
- 100% Evidence-Based Practice: Every treatment modality we offer, including EMDR, is strictly grounded in empirical research to ensure you receive proven, effective care.
- Specialized & Licensed Therapists: Our clinicians possess decades of combined experience, advanced training, and specialized expertise in trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and complex emotional health.
- In-Person & Telehealth Options: We offer flexible care tailored to your life, including in-person appointments at our Plymouth, MI and Brighton, MI offices, as well as secure teletherapy across Michigan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I start to feel overwhelmed during processing?
We recognize that beginning EMDR is a big step toward your healing, and we respect that everyone’s journey to get here has been unique. Protocol for EMDR starts with what we call “resourcing.” This means that the patient will spend a few sessions learning techniques that can help soothe them if they start to feel overwhelmed (both in and outside of session). Effective processing cannot take place when someone is over-activated, and therefore it is the therapist’s job to keep someone within their personal “window of tolerance,” while adapting the EMDR process to accommodate an individual’s unique needs.
During processing you have full autonomy to tell the therapist to stop if at any point in time you are feeling too uncomfortable. If this happens, your therapist will resort to the resourcing tactics learned previously and help get you back to a place of calm before the session ends. It is also possible to start processing with less traumatic/mildly stressful memories to test the waters before jumping in to more deeply rooted material.
Is EMDR helpful for current or future stressors, or is it only for past events?
Yes! EMDR methodology focuses on a 3-pronged approach: past, present and future. It can help to reprocess past events that are the root cause of current dysfunction. It also works on desensitizing the individual to present triggers or distressing stimuli, while incorporating adaptive beliefs and skills that will positively influence future behavior. We can even use something called “a future template” to help desensitize you to upcoming stressful situations and increasing your overall resilience to everyday stressors.
What if I don’t like/find the eye movements uncomfortable?
Bilateral stimulation comes in many forms and isn’t circumscribed to eye movements. We can use bilateral tapping on the shoulders or legs, alternate vibrations in your hands, or even use sounds. Bilateral stimulation has even been proved effective by simply walking! For some individuals, we often integrate the use of multiple bilaterals, which can help those struggling with attention or staying in the present.
What if I don’t have a big traumatic experience? Is EDMR still useful?
Yes! EMDR is used to treat a multitude of presenting problems. EMDR believes that persistent, current symptoms, are linked to earlier stressors and memories that have caused these symptoms to show up in the present. EMDR has been used to treat people struggling with sleep disturbances, chronic pain, self-esteem issues, perfectionism, performance anxiety, depression and anxiety; all of which can develop without a seemingly “traumatic event.”
How is EMDR different from other therapies?
EMDR differs from therapies like CBT and DBT because it is based largely in somatic intervention. In EMDR, we don’t spend all our time discussing traumatic events, because as patients talk, they usually remain in their rational brain. In order to effectively process deep stressors, we must access the place they are stuck; our limbic system. To do this, we spend time recalling the memory and work through the sensory information the body produces using bilateral stimulation. Instead of talking about it, our slogan is, “We have to feel it to heal it.”
Office Locations & Directions
Plymouth Office
Parkview Professional Building
409 Plymouth Road, Suite 250
Plymouth, MI 48170
Phone: (734) 416-9098
Serving Plymouth, Canton, Livonia, Northville, and Western Wayne County
Brighton Office
Grand River Annex
2040 Grand River Annex, Suite 300
Brighton, MI 48114
Phone: (810) 224-1676
Serving Brighton, Howell, Hartland, South Lyon, and Livingston County
We offer virtual therapy that fits your schedule.
- Convenience: Connect with your licensed psychologist from the comfort of home or office.
- Broad Access: Online sessions are available to residents anywhere in Michigan, as well as participating PSYPACT states.
- Same High Standard: Receive the same evidence-based treatments (CBT, DBT, Exposure Therapy) delivered with maximum privacy and flexibility.