What is EMDR and How Does it Work?
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy approach that has been extensively shown to be effective for the treatment of trauma. To date, EMDR has helped hundreds of my clients heal many types of psychological stress that is caused by underlying trauma. This includes anxiety, stress, depression, relationship issues, PTSD, and much more.
Many other therapeutic approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), focus on directly altering the emotions, thoughts and responses resulting from traumatic experiences. EMDR therapy instead focuses directly on the memory, and is intended to change the way that the memory is stored in the brain, thus reducing or eliminating triggers, symptoms, and negative emotional experiences.
Experiencing Trauma
The premise of EMDR is that throughout life everything we experience is an event. Brushing your teeth this morning, coming to counseling, watching a show – they’re all events. Usually those events go well, however, sometimes those events can be traumatic. When we speak about trauma we use a very broad definition. This means anything from witnessing a murder, being abused or raped, getting hit by another car or being made fun of by someone else. What our brain usually does is find a way to eventually process through and make sense of what happened. Sometimes, for numerous reasons, this doesn’t happen, and that trauma can get stuck and not fully processed.
The end result of this present day is one of two things. 1. We can be triggered. An example would be a war veteran having a flashback and diving for cover when they hear a car backfire. Or 2. It creates functional restrictions. Things we do or don’t do so we can avoid being triggered. For example someone who has unresolved trauma from a car crash might avoid driving and just walk places instead. These functional restrictions can work really well to avoid the trigger, but also come with a price. What happens when this person needs to take a long car ride? Or the town they live in does not have good sidewalks (looking at you Nashville…)? EMDR’s goal is to reduce the triggers and functional restrictions to create a freer, calmer, and more peaceful existence.
How EMDR Works
EMDR therapy involves several steps, but is noted for the reprocessing of memories. A trained EMDR therapist uses a specialized light bar or sound device to stimulate your sense on both sides of your body. During this time, the therapist guides you through your thoughts and feelings regarding the traumatic memory and assists you in installing positive thoughts and feelings around the memory.