EMDR with Laura Ranalletta
As anxiety specialists in St. Louis, we understand there is more than just one way to help your child work through challenges and process emotions.
Here at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis we help angry, anxious kids and teens work on building strategies to cope with their difficult emotions. Sometimes, that means processing trauma, grief or anxiety in more ways than just talk-therapy. Utilizing different strategies to tailor our approach to your child, is the most important part of creating that lasting change.
That’s why we are thrilled that our therapist, Allegra Grawer, is basic level 1 and 2 trained in EMDR, and is currently receiving EMDRIA certification supervision.
But, we also know that sometimes schedules don’t always align or allow for you to work with us and it’s just as important for us to help you find other awesome therapists in the area!
St. Louis is full of amazing resources and we are so happy to feature one of those amazing therapists in our interview series this month! Laura Ranalletta, MSW, LCSW discusses below how she uses EMDR with her clients and brings her expertise to the field.
Laura, how would you describe EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for someone who is not familiar with this type of therapy?
EMDR is different from what you might know as “talk therapy.” Traditional talk therapies involve making sense of a client’s thoughts and feelings through talking or verbal processing. I often explain to my clients that while there is some talking involved in EMDR, there is significantly less than there is with talk therapy. However, it’s important to understand that just because we’re talking less, doesn’t mean we’re not dealing with the thoughts and feelings. We are — we’re just going about it in a different way.
When doing EMDR in session with you, your therapist will use some form of “bilateral stimulation” (most commonly, eye movements back and forth or tapping) while prompting you to recall painful memories or thoughts from the past. This dual awareness in which you’re paying attention to the bilateral stimulation and the memories at the same time is what helps your brain to reprocess the information from the event in a more adaptive way and to desensitize the pain associated with the given memory.
The cool thing about EMDR is that because we’re doing more than just verbal processing, this process can work to heal lasting effects of trauma in both your body and your brain.
Why did you choose to become certified in EMDR?
Most of my career has involved working with people who have experienced a significant amount of trauma. That said, I was initially interested in EMDR as a way to treat trauma more effectively. However, after gaining a deeper understanding of the model, I’ve learned that EMDR can be used effectively with all sorts of issues! It’s definitely a more dynamic model than I initially realized.
In general, understanding the framework of EMDR has helped me to become more skilled at understanding issues that clients face on a deeper level, regardless of whether we’re actually using EMDR in our sessions.
What can people expect to leave with after experiencing this treatment?
If EMDR fits for your needs — and keep in mind, it’s not for everyone — it can be a game changer! I’ve witnessed clients experience pretty significant shifts in the way they think about themselves and the world around them after a few sessions of EMDR. I’ve also heard clients say that after EMDR therapy, they felt like they were finally able to let go of things they had been holding onto for a long time — whether consciously or subconsciously.
A disclaimer I will offer is that just like any other type of therapy, the results totally depend on the person and what we’re treating. That said, there’s lots of strong evidence that suggests EMDR’s efficacy with a wide range of issues.
Can you tell us how you use EMDR for anxiety?
For many people, anxiety is something that develops or worsens in response to a single life event or a series of life events. EMDR can help to address those past experiences, which can, in turn, relieve some of the anxiety that has built up over time.
An example: If someone had an embarrassing moment occur at school as a child which led them to develop a fear of public speaking, we might use EMDR to reprocess the memory of the embarrassing moment. By using this approach, we can relieve pain caused by the past memory as well as pain caused by present day public speaking.
What kinds of clients would benefit most from EMDR?
EMDR can be beneficial for a lot of different clients with various presenting issues including trauma, anxiety, depression, addiction, chronic illness, and more.
It is important, however, to recognize that there are some things that may preclude someone from responding well to EMDR. Examples may include clients who dissociate a lot or clients who have a low tolerance for emotional distress. It’s possible to use EMDR with these clients, but the therapist and the client should be very thoughtful about working to establish a greater sense of emotional stability prior to starting and will perhaps work at a slower pace if needed.
Is EMDR treatment available for all ages?
Yes, according to the EMDR International Association, EMDR can be used to treat children and adults of all ages. Once you understand the basics of how to use EMDR, there’s a lot of room to be creative with adapting the protocol for a younger client.
What do you wish people knew about getting treatment for anxiety and trauma disorders, specifically with EMDR?
I wish people understood that an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. It’s never too early to start addressing issues, no matter how small they seem. If we can help kids and teens to start building more self-awareness and understanding of their internal experience earlier, they’ll be better equipped to deal with what life has in store for them in the years to come! If you look at it this way, therapy for young people doesn’t have to be a shameful, embarrassing thing. Rather, it can be extremely empowering to find power in knowledge and in naming your truth.
There can be stigma around using EMDR in particular because it seems a bit mystical in terms of how and why it works. The type of eye movements used do bear similarity to hypnosis, so people are sometimes wary of that as well. Just to clear the air: EMDR is not the same as hypnosis and it is very safe to use, even with young children.
When might a parent consider getting their child EMDR therapy?
I think EMDR therapy should always be on the table as a viable option, just like any other type of therapy!
A parent might consider it more seriously if their child has tried other types of therapy for an extended period of time without significant relief. As a therapist, I personally like to start with a more behavioral approach (using CBT, ACT or DBT) and if we’re not making the progress we’re hoping for, or if we seem to keep getting stuck, I will consider a different type of approach like EMDR. However, it’s always a conversation and never something I decide to do independently. It’s important that everyone involved feels comfortable.
Where can people learn more and contact you for St. Louis anxiety and EMDR therapy?
Curious to learn more about EMDR for kids and anxiety therapy and other awesome therapists like Laura in St. Louis? Do your thoughts get way too loud? Compassionate Counseling St. Louis provides specialized anger management and anxiety therapy in St. Louis for kids, teens, and college students. We love helping with thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We work in Clayton, MO and serve kids, teens, and college students throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Coeur, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood. You can set up your free phone screening to see if we’re a good fit for your needs right on our website.