WHAT IS EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, while not as new as some may think, is gaining increasing attention through media, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) support groups, veteran organizations, survivors of abuse programs, and many other mental health-related platforms.
Psychologist Francine Shapiro developed EMDR in 1987 while grappling with her own disturbing memories. She first experimented on herself, moving her eyes back and forth as she walked through a park, and then gradually expanded the treatment to others. Shapiro wrote of her observations, “I noticed that when disturbing thoughts came into my mind, my eyes spontaneously started moving very rapidly back and forth. The thoughts disappeared, and when I brought them back to mind, their negative charge was greatly reduced.”
EMDR FACILITATES THE TRANSFORMATION OF TRAUMA AND DISTRESS INTO RESOLUTION AND MORE ADAPTIVE COPING
EMDR, not to be confused with hypnosis, is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional
distress resulting from disturbing life experiences and traumatic events.
Experts believe that past traumatic experiences can continue to cause problems in your life if you haven’t properly processed the memory of that experience. This can create a sense of being overwhelmed, of being back in that moment, as if frozen in time. When these memories are triggered, so are the negative elements of the initial event, causing symptoms of PTSD or other mental health disorders.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH AN UNPROCESSED OR FROZEN MEMORY?
The brain has a way of processing disturbing memories so that you experience the events as having ended. You might think, “Oh, it was a lousy, terrible, horrific thing that happened—I’m so glad it’s over!”
However, sometimes this process gets stuck, and the memory network stays frozen in the brain. It’s as though the part of you that experienced that event isn’t really clear about the fact that it’s over. You may have flashbacks, feeling as if you’re still living out that situation. You may find yourself triggered by something in the present that makes you respond as if you were in that past situation. You may hold beliefs about yourself that are associated with that memory—beliefs that are no longer valid, if they ever were.
HOW TRAUMATIC MEMORY AFFECTS US
Traumatic memories reside in the brain differently from usual memories. Usual memories fit neatly into our life narratives. They have a place, time, and context, and stand out only if they were particularly emotive, like photos in a chronologically ordered album.
On the other hand, traumatic memories are stored as lessons learned to help protect us from future threats. Traumatic experiences become trauma when our fight-or-flight senses try to protect us from a terrifying or dangerous event and fail, such as when we want to escape but are trapped.
Since the fight-or-flight survival instinct has failed, it jams. Nothing can be trusted in the same way; anything can be a threat. A traumatized person is always on watch for danger, being hyper-vigilant.
The animal, instinctive part of the brain is where trauma lives, and our consciousness can’t dig deep enough to touch it. We can’t talk ourselves out of triggers because triggers are by nature irrational—logic doesn’t reach that far.
Someone living with trauma can only achieve so much control over their symptoms, such as anxiety, insomnia, irritability, high tension, fidgetiness, and being easily startled or frightened. Many get through the day by merely managing these symptoms. Ongoing, never-resting vigilance is draining, and it takes its toll on the body, mind, and being.
HOW EMDR HELPS US HEAL FROM OUR TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES
EMDR seems to kick-start the natural healing process to move the memory through, and it does this at an accelerated rate. In effect, the memory is moved into the past—you become certain that the event is over.
Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy, people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. Using detailed EMDR protocols and procedures, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing processes.
Therapists carry out EMDR in 8 phases: history taking, client preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and re-evaluation of treatment effect. This typically unfolds over 6 to 12 sessions, although that number varies from person to person. Each session tends to last between 60 and 90 minutes.
In the beginning
The therapist will discuss the patient’s current challenges, gathering information about their history, and then propose a treatment plan. The patient may need to ‘float back’ from their current symptoms, exploring a recent emotional outburst or panic attack to isolate the triggers that provoked it. The goal is to identify a traumatic memory that a patient can work through in the later EMDR phases.
Establishing coping strategies
The client and the therapist will devise coping strategies, such as breathing exercises or meditation, to help combat dissociation when the client becomes distressed during or between sessions.
Recalling the traumatic event
Once those strategies are established, typically after 1 or 2 sessions, the therapist instructs the client to recall the most difficult aspect of the traumatic event. It could be an image, sound, or smell that intrudes on their thoughts most often; for some clients, the most vivid memory related to trauma took place.
The client will focus on the sensations and emotions they experience while thinking about this aspect, as they engage in activities like moving their eyes, tapping on their body, or hearing a faint beeping sound that alternates between their ears. Each set of these bilateral stimulations typically lasts between 30 and 60 seconds.
The process led by the therapist is purely practical, like air traffic control directing you to land while the view from the plane window remains completely private.
NO SHAME, NO JUDGEMENT
For those who may be embarrassed or ashamed of their past experiences, or suffer from difficulties in communicating, be assured that EMDR does not require them to divulge the details of these experiences.
EMDR isn’t about opening up a Pandora’s box. It doesn’t involve exposure therapy, which can be very difficult to go through. In that sense, EMDR is gentler than other approaches. If you feel that you are reliving your trauma, then you aren’t with the right therapist—consider seeking one that makes you feel safer.
IS EMDR FOR YOU?
If you’re suffering from PTSD, grief, abuse, or similar trauma—the symptoms of which are known to contribute to drug and alcohol addiction—EMDR therapy may be for you. Many of my EMDR clients report increased self-esteem, lowered stress and anxiety, and the release of pain and fear related to old ideas and memories. In short, life is becoming beautiful for them again. You deserve such freedom, too.
IF YOU ARE SEEKING EMDR TREATMENT, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU FIND A CERTIFIED SPECIALIST
It’s crucial to find a therapist you can trust and tell everything to. You MUST be comfortable with your therapist before attempting EMDR therapy.
EMDR therapy makes you relive your trauma and can result in flashbacks. Flashbacks can re-traumatize someone, which is why it’s important to do this type of therapy with a therapist who is not only qualified but also makes you feel as comfortable as possible.
REFERENCES
[1] American Psychological Association. (2017). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy. https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/eye-movement-reprocessing
[2] Shapiro, F. (2001). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
[3] EMDR International Association. (n.d.). What is EMDR? https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/
[4] van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
[5] Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
[6] World Health Organization. (2013). Guidelines for the Management of Conditions Specifically Related to Stress. WHO.
[7] Hase, M., Balmaceda, U. M., Hase, A., Lehnung, M., Tumani, V., Huchzermeier, C., & Hofmann, A. (2015). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in the treatment of depression: A matched pairs study in an inpatient setting. Brain and Behavior, 5(6), e00342.
[8] Shapiro, F., & Laliotis, D. (2011). EMDR and the adaptive information processing model: Integrative treatment and case conceptualization. Clinical Social Work Journal, 39(2), 191-200.
Author: Faith Foo