What Is EMDR for Trauma?
For a lot of us, a traumatic event isn’t something we live through just once. It stays with us long after the event is over. Trauma is troubling. It locks us in place and prevents us from reaching our full potential. But it’s possible to get past trauma.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy technique that focuses on helping your brain process traumatic memories. EMDR is a little different from the usual image we have of counseling, as it involves less talking.
Regardless, it has shown to be effective at helping people process their traumas. But what is EMDR, exactly?
What It Is
The idea behind EMDR is that your brain did not process traumatic memories correctly and those memories are now being stored in your body. You essentially get stuck in "high alert" mode. That’s why they keep coming back again and again.
EMDR uses eye movement (bilateral stimulation) to activate both sides of your brain. This helps you effectively process painful memories and, eventually, be less distressed by them.
How It Works
The way EMDR works is usually broken up into eight phases. The first phase usually involves talking about your trauma. It involves identifying any memories that might need to be addressed during future sessions.
The second phase of EMDR prepares you for the rest of the treatment. The counselor explains how the next sessions will work, and they’ll go over a few techniques to help you manage any sensitive emotions or distress you may feel.
In the third phase, you'll revisit target memories while identifying any negative thoughts, beliefs, or emotions surrounding those memories. These will all be addressed going forward.
Phases four to seven are all different ways in which EMDR helps you actually process trauma.
This can involve: identifying any new thoughts or feelings surrounding your trauma that you may not have noticed before, thinking of any positive beliefs to replace negative ones, scanning your body for any physical sensation(s), and using relaxing techniques so you don’t end the session highly distraught.
Eye movement comes into play during these phases. There are different ways to do this, and not all of them involve moving your eyes from side to side. They may also involve other forms of bilateral stimulation with your sense of touch or hearing. Sometimes a counselor may use a mix of these, depending on what you are most comfortable with.
The final phase involves looking back at the progress that has been made and identifying the best path forward. If you are still struggling or there are new targets that pop up, that’s okay. Trauma can be complex — that’s what recurring sessions are for.
How Effective Is It?
Despite being a relatively newer treatment, EMDR is very effective at helping people move past their trauma. In fact, it’s one of the most recommended techniques because of its proven efficacy.
While EMDR does take several sessions, commonly somewhere between six and twelve, this is far shorter than other types of therapy used to overcome trauma.
Is It Worth Trying?
EMDR is available for everyone: teenagers and adults of all ages. The real question, however, is whether it’s worth trying. And only you can answer that question. Trauma is a difficult thing to live with. It can be overwhelming and leave you feeling like you’ll never be okay again — but that’s not true.
You can grow beyond this and make your way back to a confident, safe state of mind. If EMDR therapy seems like the right path for you, feel free to contact me and make an appointment. All it takes is the right kind of help to heal and move forward.