The importance of mental health cannot be overstated as it significantly affects the quality of your life. Just as you take care of your physical well-being, you should be keen to ensure your emotional, psychological, and social being is healthy. Most of the time, your mental health can debilitate due to disorders such as depression and anxiety. However, people without any mental disorder can also develop poor mental health. Various factors contribute to mental illnesses, including adverse life experiences like sexual assault and child abuse. Fortunately, Brooklyn EMDR may help you take charge of your emotions, thoughts, and responses.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a therapy treatment used to help patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma reduce traumatic memories. The psychotherapy technique involves reliving traumatic events in brief doses while the therapist monitors and directs eye movement. Since your attention is diverted during therapy, your psychological response is not as intense when recalling distressing events. Treatment usually involves multiple sessions because EMDR is divided into eight different phases. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing can also be beneficial on patients with mental disorders that include:
Post-traumatic stress disorder
You may develop this type of mental disorder after experiencing or witnessing terrifying events such as car accidents, natural disasters like flooding, and sexual assault. Symptoms of PTSD are classified as intrusive memories, avoidance, adverse alteration in mood and thinking, and changes in physical and emotional reactions. You may not exhibit the same symptoms as the other person with PTSD. The following symptoms may be a sign that you have post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Being easily frightened
- Detaching from family and friends
- Dreams and nightmares about traumatic events.
- Intense emotional distress
- Overwhelming feelings of shame or guilt
- Self-destructive behavior like over-speeding
Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop in people of all age groups. Still, certain factors increase your likelihood of developing this mental disorder, including occupations such as military personnel and early exposure to child abuse.
Anxiety
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to fear or stress. It is a normal feeling that you experience in particular events like getting ready for an interview, moving into a new neighborhood, starting a new job, or joining a new school.
However, if you have an anxiety disorder, the feelings of worry are more intense and may be present all the time. When left untreated, this common form of the emotional disorder can affect your day-to-day activities and relationships with loved ones. This form of mental disorder has different categories depending on the cause of apprehension. For example:
- Phobia is an excessive fear of a particular activity, situation, or object.
- Separation anxiety disorder. The fear of not being at home or with your family.
- Panic disorder.
- Social anxiety disorder.
The state of your mental health directly or indirectly affects your physical help. If past terrifying experiences affect your quality of life or you have intense feelings of worry all the time, book a session with your doctor at David Salvage, M.D., FAPM for treatment to better manage your thought process and emotions.