EMDR Treatment for Trauma

Are you considering EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy) to address a trauma history, anxiety, loss or another emotional disturbance? 

If yes, here is some information that may be helpful…

What is EMDR?  EMDR or “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing” is a psychotherapy that helps people heal from symptoms of emotional distress resulting from disturbing life experiences. It helps the brain reorganize traumatic memories causing flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, low self-esteem & other symptoms so that it can store those memories in ways that are more adaptive.  By taking “the charge” out of difficult experiences so that calming resources and adaptive reasoning can be better accessed, you don’t forget what happened, you just cease to relive it over and over. You still have feelings about it, but they’re not as intense.  

What can EMDR help with? Although most commonly used to stop the cycle of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) it can also be used successfully to treat issues including Addiction, Eating Disorders and Body Dysmorphic Disorders, Grief, Pain Disorders, Anxiety and Depression,  Panic Attacks, Phobias and Physical or Sexual Abuse that result from traumatic experiences.

What is the research evidence? EMDR is supported by an extensive base of quality research and clinical experience.  The EMDR Institute, Inc (2020) reports that more than 30 positive controlled outcome studies have been done on EMDR.  Of these, some show 84%-90% of single-trauma victims no longer have post-traumatic stress disorder after only three 90-minute sessions.  Another study, funded by Kaiser Permanente, found that 100% of the single-trauma victims and 77% of multiple trauma victims no longer met criteria for PTSD after only six 50-minute sessions. In another study, 77% of combat veterans were free of PTSD in 12 sessions. Repeated research shows that by using EMDR people can more quickly experience relief from symptoms that used to take years to resolve.

Who supports EMDR?  EMDR is now recognized by organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization and the Department of Defense. And the US Department of Veteran’s affairs lists it as “strongly recommended” as an option for treating PTSD.  Over 100,000 clinicians throughout the world currently use the therapy and millions of people have been treated successfully over the past 25 years.

What about trust and safety?  Developing a relationship of trust and mutual respect between you and your therapist is necessary for this work to be most effective and to result in the most lasting change.  Trust is a key feature of any good psychotherapy and EMDR therapy is no different. Trauma work such as EMDR can bring up feelings of vulnerability, and as a result, having a safe, trusting therapeutic relationship is key in setting the stage for effective EMDR therapy.

How Does EMDR Therapy Work?  EMDR therapy is an eight-phase treatment with the more well-known eye movements being only one part of a bigger whole.   After you and your therapist have established a trusting, working relationship and completed other preparation activities (including taking a history, developing a treatment plan and ensuring you have coping skills to manage strong emotions), the most active phase of EMDR begins.  During this, “desensitization” phase you will directly focus on a traumatic or disturbing memory.  With your therapist, you pinpoint a negative image from the traumatic memory along with a belief or feeling you have related to your trauma. You don’t have to go into great detail. Then you choose a positive belief you’d like to feel about your trauma — something you’d feel if the pain was behind you.  While you focus on the traumatic event, your therapist guides you through sets of side-to-side eye movements.  You may follow your therapist’s hand with your eyes or watch a light move from one side of a board to the other, or it might involve sounds or taps instead of lights. You repeat this process until the event feels less traumatic.   This combination of focus on a memory and eye movements or sounds lets you process the memory safely. It also changes the way your brain stores the memory. Researchers hypothesize that this process is a result of biological mechanisms related to memory consolidation that occur during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.  Unlike talk therapy, the insights clients gain in EMDR therapy result not so much from clinician interpretation, but from the client’s own updated thinking and feeling processes.  The net effect is that clients conclude EMDR therapy feeling empowered by the very experiences that once caused them to suffer.  Their wounds have not just closed, they have transformed.

How long does EMDR therapy take?

The length of time to go through the eight phases of EMDR varies depending on the issues being addressed and how many traumas or “targets” are being addressed.  It is advisable to spend time initially in the therapy making sure you feel comfortable with your therapist and making sure your therapist understands your history & goals for treatment.  Also, you should receive information about the treatment process itself and how to manage strong emotions.  Your therapist will be teaching you coping skills during the early phases of treatment.  If you practice your coping skills in between sessions, it will increase your ability to process targets more effectively, expediting the treatment.

If there is a single traumatic incidentit can typically be resolved in five or six sessions, including the intake and preparation. However, for multiple traumas or a long history of past abuse, trauma or neglect treatment may last several months.

Research has shown that trauma resolution with EMDR can be quicker and more long-lasting that other forms of therapy because it addresses the root of the problem, any current triggers associated with the problem and any future scenarios that may be creating anticipatory anxiety.

Can EMDR make me feel worse?   The process of doing EMDR therapy can stir up some emotions that were experienced at the time of the trauma, sometimes making clients more sensitive while doing EMDR before symptoms begin to subside.  It is also common to have vivid dreams during this time.   As a result, therapists like to make sure that clients can access good coping skills and supportive resources prior to beginning the work.  Qualified clinicians will spend time helping the client prepare for EMDR by assessing for these coping skills and teaching new coping skills.  Sometimes EMDR therapy can be upsetting when you are thinking about painful memories in the processing, but your therapist is right there with you, helping you to feel safe, helping you to regulate your emotions,  and helping you to reorient to your coping skills prior to leaving the session. 

Can EMDR cause memory loss?  EMDR won’t cause memory loss, but the memory will not hold the same negative charge that it used to hold for you prior to the successful processing.  You will have more adaptive emotions around the memory, and it will no longer trigger unpleasant feelings or unwanted behaviors and reactions.

Call me at 661 259-3704 or 310 935-1034 to discuss if EMDR therapy might be right for you.