EMDR Therapy for Entrepreneurs: The Powerful, Unexpected Key to Success
What if I told you there’s a way to rewire your brain for contentment and success that doesn’t involve another dumb productivity hack or motivational seminar?
If you’re an entrepreneur hitting constant roadblocks, it could be time for you to look into EMDR therapy in Portland.
Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a mental health treatment technique that uses eye movements or other repetitive physical patterns to help process and “reprogram” unhelpful patterns and behaviors.
If your mindset or mental health is stopping you from reaching your business goals, I highly recommend giving EMDR a shot.
Here’s what you need to know about EMDR therapy for entrepreneurs and how it specifically benefits business owners.
When You’ve Tried Everything and Still Feel Like Shit
Are you exhausted, even after a full night’s sleep and a venti iced latte?
Do you feel like any day now, you’re going to be found out as a “fraud” in your business (or even your social life)?
Do you re-read every email about 297 times before pressing send?
If so, you’re not alone, my business-owning friend. These are symptoms of imposter syndrome, burnout, and anxiety, all of which are common mental barriers for entrepreneurs.
You’re highly motivated, talented, and ambitious, yet you just can’t seem to “get there.” Or, you actually ARE successful, but you still feel like shit.
Being the ambitious problem-solver that you are, you tried to fix it.
You’ve fucking done it all — yoga classes, hot baths, green juice cleanses, journaling, meditation, self-help books... Maybe you’ve even done talk therapy already, and it only got you so far.
Your body and brain need a better way to help you get unstuck.
How Trauma Could Be Blocking Your Success
Yes, you read that right: Trauma.
Your past may hold more of it than you realize, and that can be fucking you up now.
Just stay with me on this one, I promise…
When you experience trauma (defined later), your body fills with unprocessed stuff, including thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and images. This unprocessed information turns into programming that you automatically operate on, which is why you sometimes feel like you have no control over how you respond to things, even when you intellectually know better.
Your nervous system automatically responds from your trauma, not from your authentic self.
This programming may have worked for some time, especially to suppress challenging emotions and keep you “safe”. But eventually, it becomes outdated and no longer functions the way it used to. Now it’s making your life hell because you can’t break those same cycles and patterns that no longer apply.
Think of your brain on trauma like a computer with faulty programming: it’s time for a major upgrade. EMDR uninstalls the unhelpful data you’ve been operating on and unlocks the new software you desperately need to move forward.
Through EMDR therapy in Oregon, your brain can explore memories more deeply, uncover unconscious insights, find more functional resolutions, release the stuck energy in your body, and upload healthier core beliefs and responses.
Your Trauma Is Real and Valid – and It’s Fucking Up Your Business
You might be thinking, “Well, nothing THAT bad has happened to me, I can’t POSSIBLY have the kind of trauma that EMDR is for.”
It’s true that EMDR was initially studied with people who had survived a single major traumatic experience, like war, a sudden loss, accident, natural disaster, or assault (what we call “Big T Traumas” in the therapy craft).
But over time, research expanded to Complex Trauma, which is what most of my EMDR therapy in Portland clients have.
Complex Trauma isn’t one experience like Big T Trauma. Complex Trauma is the exposure to one or more repeated, hurtful, and unhealthy patterns, like the emotional unavailability of a parent, long-term bullying, domestic violence, severely rigid rules and expectations, and even intergenerational trauma.
Maybe you didn’t actually go through war, but your brain and body can still feel like you did, even subconsciously.
And guess what – these types of Complex Trauma also tend to breed that go-getter, perfectionist, entrepreneurial spirit you have. I’m not saying trauma is a good thing – but it shapes who you are in many ways, some of which can be positive.
And in EMDR therapy for entrepreneurs, we target and weed out trauma’s negative impacts so that your best self can shine through and you can live really fucking well.
EMDR Therapy in Oregon: It’s More Than Just Talk
One of the best things about EMDR therapy for entrepreneurs is that it treats the root causes of issues related to trauma, not just symptoms.
The core technique of EMDR is Bilateral Stimulation (BLS), an alternating left-right movement. The most common EMDR method is eye movement, but there are other ways to go through the process, and no version is more effective than the other. In my practice of EMDR in Oregon, I typically use tapping with the hands since most people find it more comfortable.
BLS mimics REM (Rapid Eye Movement), the deepest part of sleep when our eyes move rapidly back and forth under our eyelids. During this period, our brain processes emotions and consolidates memory and learning. In REM, we have no control over what is processed, and this processing can be impacted if the REM portion of sleep is disturbed.
BLS is just like what happens in our brains during the REM cycle, except it is much more focused and targeted, allowing you to have more control over what your brain heals.
The main theory of EMDR is that your brain has an innate tendency and ability to move toward a state of healing and mental well-being.
So, no matter what you’ve been through, you CAN heal!
Benefits of EMDR Therapy for Entrepreneurs
I know, I know… “Jennifer, what the fuck does trauma have to do with my business success?”
Well, here’s the truth: trauma affects every aspect of our lives.
When we don’t do the work to process trauma, it manifests in unpleasant ways in our daily lives. And that includes your business!
…taking super late client meetings, constantly feeling like you aren’t doing “enough” to get new clients, avoiding self-promotion almost altogether, being so vigilant with your money that you never enjoy it, feeling the “ick” when you consider raising your fees, pretending like everything is fine when you want to scream, being irritable with your loved ones, generally feeling stuck and lonely…
Here are just a few ways that EMDR therapy for entrepreneurs can benefit your business:
Improved decision-making and risk assessment
Enhanced creativity and problem-solving
Better stress management and work-life balance
Increased confidence in self-promotion and networking
Overcoming money blocks and scaling mindset
Being able to rest, relax, enjoy yourself, and be present
Cultivating more meaningful relationships, even with clients
Taking better care of yourself
Feeling comfortable presenting your authentic self
Higher self-esteem and less need for approval from others
Does it sound a little too good to be true?
As an EMDR therapist in Portland, Oregon, I have heard that many times, and I can promise you it’s not.
I’ve seen remarkable changes in my entrepreneur clients and the business success they’ve had after processing their trauma.
If you’re feeling stuck and traditional talk therapy just isn’t cutting it anymore, then EMDR therapy could very well be the solution you’ve been looking for.
What to Expect When You Try EMDR Therapy for Entrepreneurs
Listen, I get it!
All this talk of trauma and processing can sound a little “out-there”.
But EMDR therapy isn’t like tarot cards or healing crystals — no disrespect to spiritual business owners. I just mean that it’s totally backed by science and has had proven, incredible results.
If you’re feeling a little skeptical, that’s normal. Most of my clients raise an eyebrow at first.
But EMDR isn’t a “quick fix” (spoiler alert: there’s no such thing in the mental health world). It isn’t hypnosis and it doesn’t induce amnesia.
You are in complete control throughout the process, you do not lose consciousness, and we don’t rewrite memories as if nothing happened.
I prioritize my clients’ comfort and safety in every session, as should any EMDR therapist in Portland, Oregon. We discuss each part of the process step-by-step before acting on it, and I’ll teach you calming techniques before and throughout treatment.
AND ONE REALLY BIG THING BEFORE YOU GO….
NEVER TRY EMDR ON YOUR OWN.
You might be tempted, but it’s crucial that you only do it with the help and supervision of an EMDR-trained therapist.
Memories and other unconscious information can be dislodged, and it can be very difficult to experience that alone. It is critical for you to have appropriate support and care if that does happen.
Would you attempt to do brain surgery on yourself?
Oh, no? You wouldn’t? That sounds insane?
Well, then, you shouldn’t try to do EMDR on yourself, either.
Your Brain, Your Business, Your Move
I don’t need to remind you of your enormous potential as an entrepreneur.
You already know that.
What I’m here for is to encourage you to explore treatment opportunities like EMDR therapy to help you unleash your full potential.
It won’t be long before you’re on your way to building the business and the life of your dreams, unburdened by the shackles of trauma.
Consider it the best investment you’ll ever make in your business and yourself.
If you want to get started with a therapist who focuses on the intersection of mental health and business, then give me a shout. And as an entrepreneur, you need someone who gets you and supports your goals.
Together, let’s process and heal the trauma that’s stuck in your body, and start living the life you fucking deserve.