What is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (emdr) therapy?
Introduction to EMDR Therapy
EMDR Therapy is an evidence-based, nontraditional form of psychotherapy that uses Eye Movements (or other forms of bilateral stimulation, like tactile taps or vibrations, alternating audio stimuli) to help the brain “process” the symptoms related to unresolved traumatic life events. It was originally developed in the 1980’s by Francine Shapiro to help treat PTSD, however has been found to be helpful in treating the following issues/populations:
Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
PTSD and other trauma and stress related issues
Depression and bipolar disorders
Dissociative disorders
Performance anxiety
Sexual assault
Substance abuse and addiction
Exposure to family/community violence or child abuse
Sleep disturbance
Chronic Illness and medical issues
Chronic Physical/Somatic Pain
Grief and loss
Personality disorders
Eating disorders
How does emdr work?
EMDR therapy is an eight-phase treatment. Eye movements (or other bilateral stimulation) are used during one part of the session. After the clinician has determined which memory to target first, they ask the client to hold different aspects of that event or thought in mind and to use their eyes to track the therapist’s hand as it moves back and forth across the client’s field of vision. As this happens, for reasons believed by a Harvard researcher to be connected with the biological mechanisms involved in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, internal associations arise and the clients begin to process the memory and disturbing feelings.
EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR therapy training sessions, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing processes.
In successful EMDR therapy, the meaning of painful events is transformed on an emotional level. For instance, a rape victim shifts from feeling horror and self-disgust to holding the firm belief that, “I survived it and I am strong.” Unlike talk therapy, the insights clients gain in EMDR therapy result not so much from clinician interpretation, but from the client’s own accelerated intellectual and emotional processes. The net effect is that clients conclude EMDR therapy feeling empowered by the very experiences that once debased them. Their wounds have not just closed, they have transformed. As a natural outcome of the EMDR therapeutic process, the clients’ thoughts, feelings and behavior are all robust indicators of emotional health and resolution—all without speaking in detail or doing homework used in other therapies.
