EMDR THERAPY What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help you recover from trauma, reduce anxiety, improve self-esteem, change the way you view past events and further develop as an individual. EMDR is considered a breakthrough therapy because of its simplicity and the fact that it can bring quick and lasting relief for most types of emotional distress.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from emotional distress and the symptoms of disturbing life events. Francine Shapiro developed EMDR therapy in 1987 to successfully treat Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Since her initial discovery, there has been more controlled research investigating EMDR than any other trauma therapy.

This unique, and kind of strange, therapy has been empirically proven to assist the brain in processing “stuck” memories. 

EMDR uses dual attention stimulation (DAS) which refers to the use of alternating right-left tracking of eye movements, tones delivered to each ear, or tactile stimulation such as alternating hand taps or buzzers. 

How Does EMDR Work?

The mind can often heal itself naturally, in the same way the body does. Much of this natural coping ability occurs during sleep, particularly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. When something occurs that is overwhelming, distressing or traumatizing, your natural coping ability can become overloaded. This inability to process can result in disturbing experiences remaining unprocessed or “stuck” in your brain. 

If information related to a traumatic event is not processed fully, the initial distressing perceptions will be stored in tact, along with any distorted thoughts or feelings that were experienced at the time of the event.  

Often the memory itself is long forgotten, but the painful feelings such as anxiety panic, anger, low self-worth or despair are continually triggered in the present. When memories keep replaying themselves over and over in our minds they are stuck and not processing through to completion. EMDR can help to stop that cycle and bring peace to our mind.

While research is actively taking place, the precise mechanism by which EMDR therapy works to resolve traumatic stress is unclear. This is in part because we are just beginning to understand exactly how the brain processes intense memories and emotions. However, a number of neuropsychologists believe EMDR enables the person undergoing treatment to rapidly access traumatic memories and process them emotionally and cognitively, which facilitates their healing. 

What is an EMDR Session Like?

Typically, the first to third sessions with your EMDR Therapist are used to gather a full history and assessment, linking present concerns to past unprocessed events. You will then be asked questions regarding a specific disturbing memory or “target”. Once you and you EMDR therapist are clear on the agreed target, eye movements, similar to those in REM sleep, will be recreated by simply having you track your therapist’s finger from side to side across your visual field. Sometimes your therapist may use headphones, alternating taps on your hands or knees, or tactile stimulation using buzzers. *EMDR Therapists at our practice typically use buzzers that you hold in your hands. 

The dual attention stimulus will last for a short time and then stop. Your therapist will then ask you what came up. Experiences may include thoughts, images, body sensations and feelings. Processing will continue until the original target or image no longer triggers distressing feelings in the present moment. This happens as new neural connections are naturally formed in the brain. 

Many clients who have completed an EMDR target report that the memory becomes “further away” or “is just like a movie screen”. Of course you will always remember the event, but the distressing emotions and symptoms will no longer be triggered.