Chronic Illness EMDR

Chronic Illness

Chronic illness has the ability to affect you in more ways than just medically. In fact, it can impact you psychologically. The degree of impact is dependent on the person's personality and the circumstances before the diagnosis. Support structure plays an important role on a person's ability to cope, but oftentimes, a person has to go through various stages of dealing with the condition before they are able to adjust to the realities of the chronic illness.

When a person is diagnosed with a chronic illness, he or she will go through a number of stages similar to the stages of grief. Denial, disbelief and shock are just some of the emotions a person experiences when a diagnosis is made, and it's natural for them to resist major changes. Eventually, they will become exhausted, when all they really want to do is to recover. At that point, fear and anxiety will set in and worry in the face of uncertainty of the future.

Sadness, grief and depression are common emotions when they consider the possibility of lost goals, hopes and dreams. Losing independence is a real fear, which becomes inevitable if an illness progresses and that brings about the fear of being a burden to loved ones, which brings on more anger, resentment and even shame.

Counselling can help a person to deal with the emotions relating to chronic illness and to cope with the stress and anxieties of accepting and coping with life changes. It will help to regain personal control over life and yourself.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who works with in chronically ill individuals you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

EMDR, AEDP

EMDR, also known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy uses a range of processes to address the full clinical situation. Dual stimulation is one of the key elements and the therapist will use tools such as bilateral eye movements, taps or tones.

Reprocessing involves the client momentarily attending to triggers, past memories or anticipated future events, all the while focusing on the supplied external stimulus. Normally, the client will experience memory changes, new associations and insights. EMDR has been found to be incredibly useful for processing past and present trauma that can continue to impact an individual in many ways.

There are eight phases to EMDR treatment and the therapist will devise a treatment plan during the first phase, and equip the client with the necessary coping skills in the second phase. Phases 3-6 cover the actual EMDR treatment, described above. Phase 7 is about closure, while phase eight is all about re-evaluation of the process.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers EMDR Therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Accelerated experiential-dynamic psychotherapy focuses on techniques to bring about healing and helping clients to achieve behaviour transformation. The outcomes are facilitated through a exploring difficult experiences that have had a profound relational or emotional effect on the client's life experience.

Dr. Diana Fosha developed this innovative approach which is closely related to other disciplines, including body-focused approaches, affective neuroscience and attachment theory. The goal of Accelerated experiential-dynamic psychotherapy is to tap into the client's untapped inner resources for healing. The AEDP approach equips clients with the skills they require to confront and deal with emotional traumas, instead of resorting to defensive tactics, which is a common knee-jerk reaction. It allows the client to see their own internal coping skills that were hidden before, and to wake those inner strengths to become a natural response to life's circumstances.

If you are looking for a counsellor who offers AEDP therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Note: You may narrow your search by selecting more than one filter below.

Rebecca Rauscher

M.Ed., RCC
    • Online booking
I have over 15 years experience as a helping professional, first as an Occupational Therapist and then as a Registered Clinical Counsellor. Working with people is my passion! I love joining my clients on their... Read more

Amy Rappaport

M.S.W., RCC
Welcome! I work with people experiencing a variety of life transitions and life struggles.  A stressful life event, life change, or a recent loss can make it feel like your bottom has fallen out from under... Read more

Myriame Lyons

M.A., RCC
    • Online booking
By cultivating a sense of togetherness, Myriame works with individuals living with chronic illnesses, and those experiencing anxiety, depression, grief & loss, burnout, trauma, and life transitions.  As... Read more