When a teen girl has lived through trauma, parents may notice changes that are hard to understand. She may seem guarded, overwhelmed, numb, angry, anxious or disconnected from the family. You may be looking for a therapeutic approach that can help your daughter process painful experiences without feeling pressured to retell every detail before she is ready.
EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. It’s a structured form of therapy that can help some people process traumatic memories and reduce how intense those memories feel over time. During EMDR, a trained therapist may guide a client to briefly focus on parts of a distressing memory while also using bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, taps or sounds.
EMDR is similar to ART, or accelerated resolution therapy, which also uses eye movements as well as image replacement to reorganize traumatic memories. However, ART is much faster and used more briefly than EMDR, only being used for up to approximately five sessions to focus on a specific concern.
Read on to learn how EMDR therapy can help alleviate trauma-related symptoms in teens, as well as how to know when your teen girl needs support from Roots Renewal Ranch to improve their mental, emotional and behavioral health.
6 Ways EMDR Therapy Can Support Teens Experiencing Trauma-related Symptoms
For teens, EMDR shouldn’t be rushed or used as a stand-alone answer. It works best as part of a thoughtful trauma-informed plan that first focuses on safety, trust, emotional regulation and readiness.
