Reasons to chose OEI therapy over EMDR

EMDR and OEI are both used to treat trauma. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. OEI stands for Observed and Experiential Integration.

Both involve eye movements and help process trauma. But the way they work and how they feel in a session is pretty different. I’ve studied both.

I just found OEI works better for my holistic way I practice and how my clients respond.

EMDR Process vs OEI Responsiveness

EMDR is an 8-step procedure that you take clients through for a disturbing memory or event. I has the word desensitization in its name, which means exposure to your traumatic experience. However, individuals with trauma get daily exposure to their trauma through intrusive thoughts and intense feelings in their body that make it feel like they are re-experiencing the trauma. They’re trying to get away from the experience, not be forced to remember it.

Who ever said that you need to remember to recover?

No one. Ever.

OEI gives more flexibility

OEI was evolved from EMDR by Audrey Cook and my mentor, Dr. Rick Bradshaw for trauma, taking what worked and developing additional techniques based in neuroscience of how the brain works.

One thing I like about OEI is how flexible it is.

EMDR tends to follow a set protocol. That works for some people, but not everyone can stay with that structure, especially if they get overwhelmed, shut down or with many traumatic experiences, they can’t even remember because they’ve dissociated.

With OEI, I can adapt moment by moment. I don’t have to push someone through a process they’re not ready for. I can pause, shift techniques, or focus on regulating the nervous system so adapt to what the client is experiencing in the present moment. We don’t focus on the past.

We are free to experience the “what is” of the here and now, and that is your access to freedom from the past.

Clients don’t need to explain everything

A big reason I chose OEI is because clients don’t have to talk through painful, personal memories in detail. That’s especially helpful with trauma that’s hard to put into words or hasn’t been fully processed yet. But mostly because visual pathways to healing are more effective than verbal pathways, like talking about trauma.

With OEI, we can work directly with the eyes, body sensations and emotional responses in the present moment. This is kinder and gentler than focusing on the past.

OEI helps people feel safe and stay present, which is what they are trying to do. When you’re dissociated from the bad stuff like pain and trauma, you’re also dissociated from joy, hope, connection – all the good stuff that life is about.

Clients feel positive shifts without even being able to pinpoint exactly why—because the brain does the work on its own when given the right conditions that are created with OEI.

Changes happen in real time

In OEI sessions, I often see shifts happen right in front of me (the Observed in OEI) and clients experience the shifts (OEI Experiential). It’s subtle but clear.

Immediate feedback in the present moment helps clients trust the process. It helps me track what’s working. This is the Integration and healing that is accessed in the space that OEI creates in the present moment.

Kind, gentle Trauma Therapy

We need to be kind and gentle to ourselves. No more beating ourselves up because we are hopeless, unmotivated, and can’t seem to do the simplest of tasks. That is the trauma and you are not your trauma. You’re not your intrusive thoughts or intense feelings in your body. This is the trauma.

OEI practical, experiential, and relational. I like that it doesn’t overcomplicate things. It respects the brain’s natural healing ability and gives us tools to access those pathways.

I’ve seen it help people feel safe in their bodies again, often after years of trying other approaches. Accelerated OEI can work, even when nothing else has helped heal your trauma because time does not heal all wounds.

Is OEI really better than EMDR?

I’m not saying OEI is better than EMDR for everyone. EMDR helps a lot of people. But OEI is what I chose because it fits me and fits the kind of experience that I want to give my clients—kind, gentle, present, attuned to their needs in the moment, flexible and responsive.

It’s not about following a procedure. It’s about meeting individuals where they are and helping them feel whole again, one step at a time on the pathway that can actually get them there in one piece.

If you would like to explore Accelerated OEI, let’s connect.