What is EMDR Therapy and how does it work?
In the late 1980s, an accidental discovery by psychologist Francine Shapiro in a California park would soon revolutionize the way we treat trauma. While walking through the trees, Shapiro noticed that her own distressing thoughts seemed to dissipate as her eyes spontaneously moved back and forth. This serendipitous moment led to the development of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR. Now EMDR therapy has emerged as a cornerstone in the battle against PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
But how does a simple eye movement unlock such profound changes in the mind? Join us as we delve into the fascinating mechanics and transformative potential of EMDR therapy.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy is a method of treatment that aims to help people process distressing memories and experiences. Those memories in the past can cause emotional and physical distress in our lives today, and the goal of EMDR is to reduce that distress associated with those memories. Whether this is a traumatic experience, a loss, an extreme fear, or an adverse life situation, EMDR helps you no longer experience the pain and fears to the degree you did.
EMDR isn’t like regular talk therapy, which mostly involves speaking about your thoughts. Instead, it uses a technique called bilateral stimulation, which might be eye movements, hand tapping, or listening to certain sounds. Why does this matter? Well, think about when you sleep at night—during the part of sleep called REM, your body naturally processes the day’s events to help you recover. EMDR taps into this natural process, helping your mind sort through and heal from tough experiences while you're awake, just like it tries to do when you're asleep.
But REM sleep is disrupted by trauma, potentially even disappearing altogether. So the terrible day you had today feels just as painful tomorrow and next month. This is where EMDR comes in: it unlocks your body’s ability to regain peace through the use of bilateral stimulation.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
The exact mechanisms underlying EMDR therapy are still being investigated, but several theories have been proposed to explain its effectiveness. One hypothesis suggests that bilateral stimulation during EMDR therapy helps your brain move the disturbing images from short-term memory to long-term memory. By engaging both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously, EMDR provides the reprocessing of traumatic memories in a more adaptive and less distressing manner. This makes the awful events no longer be as painful, and you begin to feel like you can move forward.
Another theory posits that the rhythmic bilateral stimulation used in EMDR therapy induces a state of dual attention, in which the individual is simultaneously focused on the traumatic memory and the external sensory stimulus. This dual focus disrupts the usual cognitive and emotional processing of traumatic memories, allowing for the emergence of new insights and perspectives.
Stories of Healing Through EMDR Therapy:
One powerful example of the transformative potential of EMDR is the story of Sarah, a survivor of childhood abuse who had struggled for years with severe PTSD. Traditional talk therapy had provided some relief, but Sarah continued to experience intrusive memories, nightmares, and intense emotional distress.
After several sessions of EMDR, Sarah began to notice significant improvements in her symptoms. Her overwhelming memories became more manageable, and she gained a newfound sense of control over her emotions. Through EMDR, Sarah reprocessed her traumatic memories in a way that allowed her to move forward with her life, free from the burden of past trauma.
Conclusion:
EMDR therapy offers a unique and innovative approach to healing trauma and other mental health disorders. By integrating bilateral stimulation with traditional psychotherapeutic techniques, EMDR therapy helps individuals reprocess traumatic memories in a way that promotes resilience. With its growing body of research supporting its efficacy, EMDR therapy continues offer hope and healing to those affected by trauma.
If you or someone you know could benefit from EMDR, our team at Rivers Edge wants to walk alongside you. Give us a call at any of our local counseling centers.
References:
- Lee, C. W., & Cuijpers, P. (2013). A meta-analysis of the contribution of eye movements in processing emotional memories. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry.
- Bisson, J. I., Roberts, N. P., Andrew, M., Cooper, R., & Lewis, C. (2013). Psychological therapies for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
- Chen, Y. R., Hung, K. W., Tsai, J. C., Chu, H., Chung, M. H., Chen, S. R., & Chou, K. R. (2014). Efficacy of eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing for patients with posttraumatic-stress disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
