EMDR Therapy: A deep path to healing
Many people are becoming aware of EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) as it stands out as a unique and effective approach for addressing trauma and distressing life events. It was originally developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s and has gained recognition for its ability to help individuals process and heal from traumatic memories. A growing body of research has found that EMDR is effective for a range of issues including addiction, relationship problems, OCD, phobias, childhood neglect, grief, and so much more. Through this blog, I want to help you understand EMDR therapy by learning the principles, process, and benefits. In doing so, you can personally reflect on whether this therapy is for you.
What is it?
EMDR therapy is a structured, eight-phase treatment model that integrates elements of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) with bilateral stimulation movements. The therapy is based on the premise that traumatic experiences can overwhelm the brain's natural ability to process information, leading to lingering psychological distress. By reprocessing these memories, EMDR aims to reduce their emotional impact and alter the way they are stored in the brain.
The Eight Phases
History Taking and Treatment Planning: Gathering a comprehensive history of your past experiences and current symptoms. This phase can help identify the specific memories and issues to be targeted during EMDR sessions.
Preparation: Explaining the EMDR process, setting clear expectations, and teaching you various relaxation techniques to ensure that you feel safe and supported throughout the treatment.
Assessment: You select a specific memory to focus on, identifying the associated negative belief and emotional response. Together, we draw out the positive belief that you would like to adopt.
Desensitization: During this phase, you recall the traumatic memory while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation conducted by me. I prefer to use the TheraTappers as a way to conduct the bilateral stimulation. Theratappers is similar to a remote control in and has two buzzers, intended to be held in each hand, and alternate in vibration. The aim of processing is to help you reduce the intensity of the memory's emotional impact.
Installation: The focus shifts to strengthening the positive belief identified earlier. You continue to engage in bilateral stimulation while concentrating on the new, healthier belief.
Body Scan: You do a body scan of your body to see if there are any residual tension or discomfort related to the traumatic memory. If any sensations are detected, additional processing may be required.
Closure: I ensure that you feel grounded and stable before the session ends. Relaxation techniques may be employed to help you regain a sense of calm. I give you an opportunity to debrief and share your processing experience if you prefer.
Re-evaluation: In subsequent sessions, I assess the progress made and determine whether additional reprocessing is necessary. This phase helps to monitor your overall healing journey.
Benefits
Effectiveness: Numerous studies have shown that EMDR is effective in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related conditions. Many clients experience significant improvement in just a few sessions.
Efficiency: Compared to traditional talk therapy, EMDR can yield faster results. This is particularly beneficial for individuals seeking relief from intense and distressing memories.
Holistic Approach: EMDR addresses the cognitive, emotional, and physical aspects of trauma, promoting comprehensive healing. By reprocessing traumatic memories, clients often find relief from associated physical symptoms such as tension and pain.
Empowerment: EMDR empowers clients to take an active role in their healing process. The structured nature of the therapy provides a clear roadmap for recovery, fostering a sense of control and hope.
How does it work?
The best way that I like to explain EMDR is this. Imagine if I was to fall over, land on my knee and hurt myself. I look at my knee and it is bruised and there are small cuts. Over the next couple of weeks, my brain will send signals to help repair and heal my knee. In a month’s time, my knee will no longer hurt and when I look at it, it may have a scar to remind me of the slight physical injury that I experienced. If we use this as an idea, and now consider psychological injuries. Psychological injuries are understandably much more tough to heal from, hence causing long-lasting mental wounds.
When we go to sleep at night, we have four different stages of sleep. This includes Awake, Light Sleep, Deep Sleep and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep. In REM Sleep, our natural coping mechanism occurs and we process events into memory. EMDR therapy mimics this REM stage of sleep from the outside as we have more control and can regulate our emotions. We can access stored memories, acknowledge the impact it has caused to our perception of the world, and allow us to consider a new meaning to heal. In doing so, we are able to release the emotional charge associated to those significant memories. Similarly to the physically hurt knee, the memory no longer gives us pain, but we still remember that it happened.
If you or someone you know, is struggling with life events that have taken considerable effort and energy to manage, and still have not yet overcome, do consider exploring EMDR therapy as a potential path to healing. From my experience, it is amazing to see how effective EMDR therapy can be.
