What is EMDR
If you can't fly, then run, If you can't run, then walk, If you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.
Martin Luther King Jr
As a practice, we work with kids, teens and adults who have experienced different forms of trauma. Many of us use EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) as a modality for working with a variety of conditions. While it is not the only modality used by our therapists, we have found it to be incredibly effective. For a better understanding of EMDR, you can watch this short video or read more information to decide if it's a good fit for you.
What is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a mode of psychotherapy that allows people to heal from traumas that are a result of disturbing life experiences. Developed by Francine Shapiro, it begins with the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model which states that the mind can often heal itself naturally, much in the same way as the body. This often occurs during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Utilizing this natural process, EMDR was developed originally to treat Post- traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It has since been used to effectively treat a wide range of mental health conditions.
How does trauma affect the brain?
Most of the time your body routinely manages new information and experiences without you being aware of it.
However, when something out of the ordinary occurs and you are traumatized by an overwhelming event (e.g. a car
accident) or by being repeatedly subjected to distress (e.g. childhood neglect), your natural coping mechanism can
become overloaded. This overloading can result in disturbing experiences remaining frozen in your brain or being
"unprocessed". Unprocessed experiences can get triggered by present day experiences. The memories themselves may be forgotten, but the raw emotions experienced at that time will continue to be felt. Your ability to live in the present and learn from new experiences can therefore become inhibited. EMDR helps create the connections between your brain’s memory networks, enabling your brain to process the traumatic memory in a very natural way.
What is an EMDR session like?
After gathering your history, we have a preparation phase. Then the "reprocessing" phase of EMDR begins. You’ll be asked specific questions about a particular memory. Eye movements, similar to those during REM sleep, will be recreated for a short period of time. You will then be asked to report back on the experiences you have had during each of these sets of eye movements. Experiences during a session may include changes in thoughts, images and feelings.
With repeated sets of eye movements, the memory tends to change in such a way that it loses its painful intensity and simply becomes a neutral memory of an event in the past. Other associated memories may also heal at the same time. This linking of related memories can lead to a dramatic and rapid improvement in many aspects of your life.
What conditions can EMDR be used to treat?
In addition to treating PTSD, EMDR has been successfully used to treat a variety of conditions including anxiety and panic attacks, depression, phobias, OCD, sleep problems, complicated grief, addictions, issues of self-worth and performance anxiety.
Can anyone benefit from EMDR?
EMDR can accelerate therapy by resolving the impact of your past traumas and allowing you to live more fully in the present. It is not, however, appropriate for everyone. The process is rapid, and any disturbing experiences, if they occur at all, last for a comparatively short period of time. Nevertheless, you need to be aware of, and willing to experience, the strong feelings and disturbing thoughts, which sometimes occur during sessions.
Will I remain in control?
Yes. During the process, you will remain in control, fully aware and wide-awake. This is not a form of hypnosis and you can stop the process at any time. Throughout the session, the therapist will support and facilitate your own self-healing and intervene as little as possible. Reprocessing is usually experienced as something that happens spontaneously, and new connections and insights are felt to arise quite naturally from within. As a result, most people experience EMDR as being a natural and very empowering therapy.
What evidence is there that EMDR is a successful treatment?
EMDR is an innovative clinical treatment which has successfully helped over a million individuals. The validity and reliability of EMDR has been established by rigorous research, with many controlled studies. it is a thoroughly documented method used in the treatment of trauma. For more information, please visit www.emdria.org.
Adapted from www.getselfhelp.co.uk