EMDR Therapy & The Flash Technique
Learn to Put Trauma, Painful Memories, and Distressing Emotions in Their Proper Place – the Past – Without Having to Relive Them
The most painful thing isn’t necessarily what we’ve experienced, but the way the experience lives on – slowly draining all of the meaning and joy from our relationships and lives.
I get it.
I understand just how frustrating and overwhelming it can be to know, rationally, that a painful experience is behind you – yet nothing you do seems to prevent your mental, emotional, and physical being from keeping it front and center.
You may always feel anxious, flooded, ashamed, frozen, or overwhelmed. You may find yourself constantly bracing for the next shoe to drop, or avoiding anything that could be “triggering.” And you’re exhausted from trying to appear as if everything is fine while you struggle to keep difficult emotions at bay.
There may be nothing to fear but fear itself … but that doesn’t make your fear any less real.
And how exactly are you supposed to approach your fear in order to overcome it, when the very idea of doing so leaves you feeling as if you’ll be swallowed up by it?
The last thing you want to do is lose control, shut down, dissociate, or relive every painful detail of what you’ve been through.
Thankfully, there is another way forward.
The most effective next step doesn’t require you to push harder, go faster, or force direct confrontation with what feels unbearable.
In fact, the most healing approach to painful material is to address it in a way that feels safe and manageable.
And this is precisely what the EMDR-based Flash Technique is all about.
If you’ve been afraid that healing will feel too overwhelming or intense, EMDR therapy and the Flash Technique can offer you the gentler path forward you’ve been looking for …
How EMDR Therapy & the Flash Technique Can Help
A lot of people assume that healing from trauma – or any painful life experience – means talking through every painful, distressing, and agonizing detail.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, is a thoroughly researched, structured, evidenced-based approach to psychotherapy that is specifically designed to help people process and heal from overwhelming, painful, or traumatic experiences.
EMDR is extremely powerful and effective.
The problem is that, while the bilateral stimulation that EMDR relies on can lessen the intensity of distressing, overwhelming, and painful emotions, it still often requires you to face those difficult feelings “head on.”
The EMDR-based Flash Technique offers another option …
The Flash Technique is an approach to EMDR therapy that doesn’t require you to talk about every painful detail of a memory or emotion, or stay focused on them for very long.
In simple terms, the Flash Technique helps lower the emotional charge of a disturbing memory or emotion by allowing you to keep most of your attention on something neutral, positive, or engaging while processing the painful memory or emotion in the “background.”
This can be especially helpful if you:
- Feel overwhelmed when painful memories come up
- Tend to shut down, go blank, or become emotionally overwhelmed
- Avoid thinking about certain experiences because they feel too intense
- Want to begin trauma work, but are afraid it will be “too much”
- Need a gentler way to prepare for deeper EMDR processing
In our work together, we may use the Flash Technique as a part of more traditional EMDR therapy or as a stand-alone intervention to help reduce the level of distress connected to a particular memory, image, or experience so that deeper work can feel more possible.
For some clients, that makes it easier to begin trauma work. For others, it helps them continue moving forward when other approaches have felt too triggering or overwhelming.
Using the Flash Technique can help you:
- Feel less activated by a disturbing memory or emotion
- Stay more grounded and present while doing trauma work
- Increase your sense of safety and capacity
- Reduce fear around beginning or continuing EMDR therapy
- Approach painful material in a way that feels more manageable
- Build momentum toward deeper healing and growth
If you’re ready to do the work necessary to heal from trauma and other painful emotions – but you’re worried healing means reliving the past you’ve fought so hard to escape – I invite you to contact me today, schedule a free initial consultation, and discover how the Flash Technique can help you finally start moving forward again at an emotional pace you can manage.
Am I the Best EMDR Therapist for You?
EMDR therapy can be a highly effective and profoundly powerful approach to healing. The Flash Technique makes it even more so.
But neither one is magic. There are no “silver bullets.” And no one therapy approach or technique works equally well for every client.
Even more important to this work is the safe, trusting, healing relationship you create with your therapist.
After all, if you don’t feel comfortable being open and honest with me, you’ll find it next to impossible to do the deep work necessary to heal and grow.
This is especially true when it comes to trauma work, EMDR therapy, and the Flash Technique.
So how can you tell whether I’m the “right” or “best” EMDR therapist for you?
The only way to really find out is to contact me, schedule a free initial consultation, ask any questions you have, and see if we feel like a good fit for working together.
What I can tell you is that your trust and safety are of paramount importance.
I know how painful it can be to feel misunderstood, criticized, judged, or unsafe for just being yourself. And I know how much changes when you feel truly listened to and understood. That understanding is central to the way I work with clients.
I also introduce this kind of work carefully. I listen deeply – compassionately, and without judgment. And I’ll always strive to create a space where you can safely explore difficult thoughts, feelings, and memories at a pace that respects your nervous system.
And I don’t believe in “one-size-fits-all” approaches to counseling and therapy …
When appropriate, we’ll integrate EMDR therapy and the Flash Technique with other modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, IFS Therapy, and other somatic therapy techniques, so that our work together is tailored to your goals and unique needs in a given moment.
My goal is not to push you past your limits.
I’m here to serve as your guide – helping you reduce distress, better understand yourself, and move toward a greater sense of calm, clarity, resilience, meaning, and joy.
If you’re ready to try something different and finally put trauma, painful memories, and distressing emotions in their proper place – the past – without having to relive them, I invite you to contact me today at 510-866-4781, or email me at eleanor@eleanorlew.com, and schedule a free 15-minute initial telehealth consultation. I look forward to meeting you. But the person you’re really going to meet is you.