What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a comprehensive therapy that not only helps process difficult memories and emotions but also focuses on building resilience and challenging negative beliefs. It involves an eight-phase treatment approach to address trauma and related issues effectively.

These eight phases are not strictly linear but are adjusted based on the client’s needs and progress:

The Eight Phases of EMDR Therapy

1. History Taking:The therapist assesses your history and develops a treatment plan.
2. Preparation:The therapist explains the treatment and introduces relaxation techniques to manage emotional stress.
3. Assessment:The therapist identifies the specific memories and negative beliefs to target.
4. Desensitization:The therapist uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps, or sounds) to help process the traumatic memory.
5. Installation:Positive beliefs are reinforced to replace the negative beliefs.
6. Body Scan:The therapist checks for any remaining physical tension related to the traumatic memory.
7. Closure:The therapist ensures you return to a state of equilibrium at the end of each session.
8. Reevaluation:The therapist reviews your progress in subsequent sessions and adjusts the treatment plan as necessary.

How EMDR Works

During EMDR therapy, a healthcare provider helps identify memories and themes to work on, including negative beliefs about how trauma has made someone feel. In EMDR sessions, you’re guided through a series of exercises that stimulate both sides of your brain. These exercises, which may involve following hand movements, listening to sounds, or feeling gentle taps, help facilitate the processing and integration of distressing experiences.

Challenging Negative Beliefs

A significant aspect of EMDR is its emphasis on challenging negative beliefs that may have developed as a result of past trauma or experiences. By addressing and reframing these beliefs, you’re empowered to cultivate more positive and adaptive ways of thinking. Moreover, EMDR promotes grounding techniques that help anchor you in the present moment. These techniques provide a sense of stability and control, enabling you to navigate through challenging emotions and sensations with greater ease.

Suitability and Benefits

While EMDR isn’t a quick fix and may not be suitable for everyone, many individuals find it beneficial in improving their overall well-being and resilience. Ultimately, EMDR offers a pathway towards healing, personal growth, and a renewed sense of empowerment.

How is EMDR Different from Other Therapies?

EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or completing homework between sessions. Rather than focusing on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue, EMDR allows the brain to resume its natural healing process. It is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain.

How EMDR Affects the Brain

Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help.

Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create an overwhelming feeling of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories, allowing normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.

What Can EMDR Help With?

EMDR therapy helps children and adults of all ages. Therapists use EMDR therapy to address a wide range of challenges, including:
– Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
– Chronic illness and medical issues
– Depression and bipolar disorders
– Dissociative disorders
– Eating disorders
– Grief and loss
– Pain
– Performance anxiety
– Personality disorders
– Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma and stress-related issues
– Sexual assault
– Sleep disturbance
– Substance abuse and addiction
– Violence and abuse