WHAT IS EMDR THERAPY?
‘I hope you’re here with an open mind and a healthy dose of skepticism,’ my EMDR therapy trainer said bluntly on the first evening of my 50+ hour eye movement therapy training. He has been practicing EMDR therapy for decades, originally trained by the founder of EMDR therapy herself, Francine Shaprio(!!) But when he first heard of EMDR, he too felt unsure of the effectiveness of eye desensitization therapy - could moving your eyes back and forth actually heal traumatic memories and help people move forward with less pain?
I’m here to tell you, once you try eye movement therapy, you begin to understand its incredible healing power and the possibility it holds to change lives. Of course, it’s more than just moving your eyes back and forth! It’s finding presence within your body in the company of a caring, well trained therapist, there to help you work through painful memories using an evidence-based therapy. It takes courage and I’ve witnessed its magic.
EMDR has a lot of moving components (hence the 50+ hour training!) but luckily, you’ll have a therapist trained in EMDR there to guide you and make sure you are safe and cared for throughout, so all you really need to know is this:
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy.
As humans, we process emotional material in a different part of the brain than we process intellectual material - we have a logistical brain and an emotional brain, if you will. Traumatic memories are stored differently than our usual day to day memories, so when we’ve gone through a painful experience, we can intellectually know that we are okay and safe, but still feel anxious, scared, or overwhelmed. Sometimes we even physically feel it in our bodies as though the event is occurring again! An EMDR therapist uses this method of psychotherapy to connect what we know to what we feel, so the brain is able to process our past experiences and allow us to heal (!!) In a nutshell, it helps people get ‘unstuck’ when they know one thing, but feel another.
If your curiosity is piqued, I go in more depth here about how EMDR therapy treatment works and who it can help (spoiler alert: nearly everyone!). The most important thing you can do is find a therapist you trust to guide you, so if you have questions or want to schedule a consultation, shoot me an email!
WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM EMDR THERAPY?
EMDR is a well researched, evidence-based form of psychotherapy that can help a wide range of populations and experiences. While it’s most well known for its impact in treating trauma and PTSD, it can help people simply feeling emotionally stuck and everywhere in between - its reach goes so far! Here are a few conditions EMDR therapy can help with: social anxiety treatment, depression treatment, trauma treatment, PTSD treatment, treatment for anxiety attacks, treatment for a panic attack, grief therapy, chemical dependency treatment, performance anxiety treatment, sexual assault, chronic pain, crps therapy treatment - the list goes on!
HOW DOES EMDR THERAPY WORK, EXACTLY?
EMDR therapy was developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s and involves a structured eight-phase approach that incorporates elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with bilateral stimulation (stimuli, such as eye movements, taps, or auditory tones, that occur in a rhythmic left-right pattern). During EMDR therapy sessions, a therapist guides you through recalling distressing memories while simultaneously focusing on bilateral stimulation.
The first few phases consist of assessment, grounding, and resourcing in preparation for processing. Once your therapist has established the groundwork and you both feel you’re ready to proceed, you’ll work through the following stages:
Desensitization: During this phase, your EMDR therapist will help in processing traumatic memories, reducing their emotional impact.
Reprocessing: Once the memories are desensitized, your therapist will facilitate the brain’s reprocessing of the memory. The brain has an incredible natural ability to adapt and heal by integrating distressing memories into more adaptive, less distressing forms.
EMDR therapy is based on the theory that traumatic experiences can become "stuck" in the brain, which can lead to ongoing emotional distress. By engaging in bilateral stimulation while recalling distressing memories, EMDR aims to facilitate the brain's natural healing processes, allowing the individual to reprocess memories and reduce their emotional intensity.
SOME ODDS AND ENDS ABOUT EMDR THERAPY
EMDR therapy can be done virtually! How cool is that! I offer virtual sessions to people who live in New York :)
One unique aspect of EMDR therapy is that you don’t necessarily need to talk through the traumatic memory with your therapist. While you certainly can should you wish to, EMDR doesn’t follow the traditional talk therapy model. Instead, we bring up the painful memory, notice thoughts, beliefs, and emotions, and allow our brains to resume their natural healing. This can be a great comfort to some who don’t want to talk through past experiences with another person, but are looking for a way to release what’s happened and move forward.
Much of the process includes grounding and getting into your body in order to reprocess the memories in a healthy way. This also means that your therapist will work closely with you in creating a safe space during session and in between sessions. There will be grounding and relaxation exercises as well as time dedicated to checking in and assuring you are okay throughout it all.
EMDR therapy is structured, with an improvisational aspect. The therapist provides a safe space and framework to guide you where you need to go in order to heal, release, and move forward. You are always in control of your own processing and healing.
Like all things in life, EMDR works differently for everyone. As you’ll discuss with your therapist, there are no rights or wrongs within the process, and EMDR doesn’t work 100% of the time.
ANALOGIES ARE HELPFUL IN UNDERSTANDING HOW EMDR THERAPY WORKS!
I love a good analogy as a way to creatively understand a concept through a different lens. Here are a few analogies to better conceptualize EMDR therapy and how it works:
A memory from a painful experience can be thought of as akin to a physical wound. Imagine you have a wound on your skin. Your body will naturally work to heal it, but if it isn’t healed properly, it will become infected beneath a scab. When the infected scrape is bumped, your body feels intense pain as though it's happening all over again. You may need help from a medical professional to open the wound and release the infection, allowing your body the chance to heal the wound in a healthy way. Similarly, when you go through a painful experience, the brain can have trouble processing it in a healthy way. Memories like this are stored improperly and when a trigger brings them front of mind, your body feels that experience all over again, in a heightened way. You may need help in re-opening the memory, releasing the overwhelming emotions associated, and closing it in a safe and healthy way. You won’t be erasing the memories - there will still be a small scar - but they’ll be healed over in a healthy way and no longer hurt as much when you recall them.
Another way to understand the processing of memories is to consider a memory that has been processed in a healthy way. Think back to your high school years - did you wear socks? Are you sure? Can you picture them - their details, colors, textures, and fit? It’s likely that you can’t remember the distinct details of your socks in high school, but you know for a fact that you wore them. This represents a ‘normal memory’ - one that exists but doesn’t bring along any emotional or physical reactions when you revisit it.
Memories from a painful time aren’t typically properly processed by your brain, so you can recall specific details - sometimes even feel them in your body as though you’re back in that moment. EMDR allows the processing of a painful memory in a healthy way so it becomes more like the memory of your high school socks - you know it’s there and you can recall it, but it doesn’t bring with it an emotional or physical reaction. In other words, the memories aren’t being erased, they are simply no longer as intense and your feelings will be more manageable.
HOW TO FIND AN EMDR THERAPIST NEAR YOU
In order to offer EMDR therapy, a psychotherapist they must be licensed to practice psychotherapy in your state and have gone through additional training with a certified EMDR trainer.
If you live in New York, you are in luck!!! I am licensed and practicing EMDR virtually where you live and am happy to hop on a call for a consultation. Feel free to reach out!
If you don’t live in New York State, or want to work with a therapist in person, I encourage you to talk with your current therapist, your care team, or to search through directories such as Psychology Today.
EMDR is a powerful healing modality to help in reprocessing painful memories to reduce their emotional intensity. If you’re curious in finding out more or would like to schedule a consultation, shoot me an email or give me a call here.