EMDR
(Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing)
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitazation and Reintigration - is a form of therapy which uses the brain's bi-hemispheric structure to process and heal. This is a sub-cognitive approach, and can often resolve many issues much more quickly than traditional, cognitive based therapies. EMDR is especially useful when working on trauma, or other highly charged emotional states, including dissociation.
The core of EMDR is doing “Dual Attention Bilateral Stimulations” while discussing memories, emotional states, or beliefs about yourself. The “Dual Attention Bilateral Stimulations” may look like eye movements back and forth, bilateral audio stimulation, holding buzzers in each hand which alternatingly activate, or some other form of bilateral stimulation.
Stimulating bilaterally activates both of your brain's hemispheres - the emotional side and the rational side. This allows your brain to process the issue you are working on without getting caught in the ruminative loops often associated with highly charged emotional states. Often, connections between past experiences will surface that you had never realized before. Despite your lack of conscious recognition, your brain has made a significant connection between them, creating a neural network which informs your beliefs about yourself and the world. EMDR can help disentangle these neural networks, and work to install more adaptive ones.
EMDR Is Evidence-Based
EMDR has been used clinically since the 1980’s, and is considered a front-line psychotherapeutic intervention for crisis situations. It has been documented to be an effective treatment modality for PTSD, Anxiety Disorders, Eating Disorders, Substance Abuse, Depression, amongst many others.
The World Health Organization (WHO), the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and the American Psychological Association (APA), amongst many other reputable organizations, recognize EMDR as an effective modality (1).
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
EMDR Therapy is a structured process that has eight stages. This scaffolding provides a framework for you and your therapist to develop a treatment plan which is specific to you, your history, and your goals.
The first few stages work on building therapeutic tools and resources that allow you to stay grounded both during the session and afterwards. This is especially important if you are working on trauma or other issues that have highly charged emotions. You will also discuss your treatment goals with your therapist here.
The middle stages are where the actual bilater stimulation occurs. This has two main components. The first is desensitization, which helps to reduce the emotional charge associated with the memory, belief, or issue you are working on. The second component is free association, where the bilateral stimulation can help surface other experiences which your brain has connected. By surfacing these, you can work through them to create healthier understandings of yourself and the world.
The end stages include reinforcing the gains that you’ve accomplished, properly framing what you’ve worked through, and grounding.
EMDR’s Eight Phases
Phase 1 – Assessment and Treatment Planning
Treatment begins with a careful review of your history, symptoms, and goals. Rather than immediately processing traumatic memories, the therapist helps you understand how trauma affects emotional and physiological responses. Together, you identify relevant triggers and select target memories to guide the treatment plan.
Phase 2 – Stabilization and Self-Regulation Skills
Before engaging in memory processing, you learn techniques to manage distress. These may include grounding strategies, breathing exercises, and other self-calming methods designed to help regulate emotions and maintain stability both during and between sessions.
Phase 3 – Identifying the Target Memory
You focuses on a specific disturbing memory or experience. This includes identifying the image that represents the event, the negative belief associated with it, and any emotions or body sensations that arise when recalling it.
Phase 4 – Desensitization with Bilateral Stimulation
While you focuses on the memory, your therapist introduces bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, alternating sounds, or tactile pulses. You periodically report emerging thoughts, emotions, and sensations as the memory begins to lose its intensity.
Phase 5 – Installation of Adaptive Beliefs
As the distress connected to the memory decreases, your therapist helps you strengthen more adaptive beliefs about yourself and the experience, reinforcing these perspectives while continuing bilateral stimulation.
Phase 6 – Body Scan
You scan your body for any lingering physical tension or discomfort connected to the memory. If present, additional processing helps release these residual sensations.
Phase 7 – Closure and Stabilization
The session concludes with techniques that help you return to a calm and balanced state.
Phase 8 – Reevaluation
At the next session, progress is reviewed and treatment targets are adjusted as needed.
Why EMDR Therapy?
EMDR fits very naturally into our overall framework of working with the underlying neurophysiology, which we do using neurofeedback, biofeedback, and other tools. We’ve found that EMDR pairs very nicely with these other modalities, working as another very effective tool to work with the totality of you and your experience. The cognitive or conscious piece is only the tip of the iceberg, and EMDR helps us effectively and safely access the deeper levels.
Additionally, we’ve found EMDR to be gentler than many other forms of therapy, allowing you to process difficult material without necessarily having to “grit your teeth and bear it.”
Thought Leaders: Peak Performance and EMDR
In our work with Peak Performers, we’ve also found EMDR to be a very useful tool and framework to prepare for future challenges and optimize for success, both on the practical level and the deeper belief level.
(H2) Take The Next Step in Healing with EMDR
If you think that EMDR could play a useful role in your healing process, please reach out today to schedule a free 15 minute Consultation Call. A trained and knowledgeable clinician will help you understand if EMDR Therapy is appropriate for you.