Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)

Also Known as Reprocessing Therapy

    Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, better known as EMDR, is a psychotherapeutic technique that helps reduce or eliminate a variety of psychological symptoms, such as nightmares, anxiety, depression, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts and negative ways of seeing yourself that interfere in your life, such as "I am worthless," "No one likes me," or "I can't be successful." EMDR was first used on war veterans who had been diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. In just a few sessions, 77% of the war veterans showed that a majority of their trauma related symptoms were reduced or eliminated within 12 EMDR sessions. The treatment stopped years of nightmares, improved their moods, helped them sleep through the night and reduced their negative thoughts about themselves, relieved guilt, stopped intrusive thoughts of war, etc. Many were able to be taken off of disability and resume more normal lives!

    EMDR might be right for you as well! Here's how it works. First, your therapist will meet with you to determine whether EMDR is right for you. EMDR is NOT for everybody, but many people can benefit from this treatment. Then the therapist will ask you to practice some "self-soothing" exercises to help you deal with difficult emotions that might come up during treatment. This is important because EMDR is a fast moving form of therapy that stirs up unprocessed thoughts, feelings and memories. Sometimes these thoughts, feelings and memories can be intense and it is important that you have the skills to handle them should they arise. Next, you and your therapist will review a list of negative events that had a negative impact on your life, and negative beliefs you may have about yourself that get in your way of your quality of life. The therapist will explain how EMDR works, what you can expect and prepare you for your first treatment session. You will identify what you want to work on and how you would like to see things in the future. This information will be used during treatment session to help work through the negative events that impact your quality of life.

    During an EMDR session, the therapist has you focus on your experience of a single event and your negative thought about yourself. The therapist will then use bilateral stimulation to help clear your nervous system of the negative impact of a memory or event. For example, your therapy typically will use eye movements to help stimulate your nervous system so it can work through a negative memory. If you can't tolerate the eye movements or there is a medical reason why this should not be utilized, tapping or use of sounds in each ear can have a similar effect. Your therapist will complete several sets of bilateral stimulation until your memory is worked through or part of it has been successfully worked through. It takes approximately 6-12 sessions typically to resolve past, unprocessed memories that interfere in your quality of life. It is that fast! Some people require less and others require more.

CAUTION! BE SURE YOUR THERAPIST HAS BEEN TRAINED IN EMDR THROUGH THE EMDR INSTITUTE. There are therapists who were trained in eye movement therapy that is NOT EMDR. EMDR is a very specific, structured form of therapy that follows a strict protocol. All the steps are necessary for successful results.

    EMDR sounds like an odd form of therapy doesn't it? How can eye movements or tapping help you process feelings of depression, anxiety, nightmares, intrusive memories and low self-esteem? No one is sure actually, but there are a few theories that seem to explain it. EMDR is based upon a theory of how memories, feelings, emotions are stored. Essentially, there are two different forms of memory storage, narrative memory and emotional memory. When a traumatic incident happens it initially is stored in emotional memory. Through a process of cognitive processing (thinking things through) and dreaming, the feelings associated with an event end up being stored in narrative memory. For example, lets say your boss gets angry with you and yells at you for a mistake you made. You feel angry, hurt and anxious. Usually you will feel cautious for a couple of days and as you see that things are okay between you and your boss, you are able to move beyond this experience. You continue working and doing a good job. Your intense memory and feelings are stored in the emotional memory area of your brain. As you think it through, see your boss is okay with you and you are doing well at your job, this memory moves from the emotional memory area to the narrative memory part of your brain.

    Emotional Memory and Narrative Memory are also associated with the different function performed by the two hemispheres of your brain. On the right side of your brain, or the right hemisphere, are the functions of creativity, intuition, art/music and holistic thought. Holistic thought means the brain processes information by looking at the big picture first, then considering the details. On the left side of the brain, the left hemisphere, are the functions of analytic thought, logic, language, and science/math. Analytic thought is logical thought or linear thought. The brain takes the details, arranges them in a logical order, then makes sense of them. It is thought that information is stored on both sides of the brain and through dreaming, making sense out of things and thinking, a person is able to process emotional information.