What is Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a complex and progressive therapeutic modality developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980’s. Since its inception, it has been research focused and proven to be effective through evidenced based studies.
EMDR has two very important strengths that differentiate it from all other modalities: (1) it rapidly and completely uncovers past traumatic events that have been repressed or only partially remembered, and (2) it allows for the processing of the memory so that the reliving component is eliminated and the client can then remember the traumatic event in a more abstract and emotionally detached way, thus shifting internal paradigms or beliefs created about one self.
What kind of conditions does emdr help with?
EMDR was initially used to treat people with traumatic memories, however, it is now recognized to treat phobias, PTSD, anxiety, grief, depression, public speaking anxiety and medically unexplained chronic pain or illness. It is also used with complex trauma or chronic distressing childhood experiences involving neglect, abandonment or rejection. Because these psychological wounds can occur before we are verbal, our brains may not even recall memories, but our bodies still carry the burden of the trauma in the form of tension, chronic pain, autoimmune disorders or physical sensations associated with anxiety including rapid heart beat and shortness of breath.
When distressing experiences begin in early childhood, they can also interfere with one’s sense of self and one’s ability to establishing nurturing, meaningful, safe and reciprocal connections in adult relationships resulting in choosing emotionally unequipped partners and reliving the original emotionally unsafe dynamics.
Another important result of complex trauma or trauma, is an emotional numbing or a low tolerance for having feelings/emotions resulting in avoidance, distraction, suppression or various numbing agents such as substance use. Research shows that when emotions get pushed aside they get stronger and will come to the surface in other ways (i.e. panic attacks).
how does emdr work?
A traumatic event leaves behind a frozen blueprint or a frozen memory that hasn’t completed the healing process yet, and because it’s ‘frozen’ or stuck, the lesson or wisdom, cannot be accessed or reveled.
The response blueprint is “frozen in time”- it has no concept of time or calendar so the body re-experiences the original sensations, emotions, thoughts and images in the present, however, that survival response is no longer appropriate for the situation at hand. This response is automatic and doesn’t feel like a choice. EMDR is based on the AIP (Adaptive Information Processing) model which organizes our experiences and works with our early memories.
Past events only matter if they are impacting the present. As such, if there has been maladaptive encoding or incomplete processing of traumatic or disturbing events, the unprocessed experience becomes stored in the emotion (primal) part of the brain and when we are triggered it floods our system and we feel like the original event is happening now. It sometimes feels like an overreaction to the present moment.
The EMDR process is intended to bring balance to your system. Your therapist will ask some questions helping you to find the root of the presenting issue and will use bilateral stimulation to create the conditions necessary for balance and reprocessing.
Our brains are designed to process trauma and the bilateral stimulation helps it do what it naturally needs to do to keep what was useful and to release what was not useful from the experience.
Bilateral stimulation works by having both the right (emotion/artistic) side of the brain and the left (intellectual/rational) side of the brain communicate with each other. Bilateral stimulation occurs naturally when we are in REM sleep and dreaming as the brain is processing information and experiences that occurred during the day. Bilateral stimulation is also activated when walking, as we are using one foot at a time and thus stimulating our brain to communicate with itself. This may help explain why a lot of people report feeling really good after walking.
During a set of eye movements, the client experiences a spontaneous, natural reprocessing of the thought, feeling, sensation or image that causes disturbance. After several sets of eye movements, clients typically report psychological breakthroughs that normally would take months or years to achieve.
how is EMDR different than other therapies?
What makes EMDR different than other therapies is that painful events are being transformed on an emotional level, not just on a brain/mind level.
A lot of times, we can feel like we KNOW something rationally, however deeply FEELING and deeply BELIEVING what we know is different.
Unlike traditional methods of therapy, the insights and meanings gained in EMDR don’t come from the therapist, but from the receiver’s own accelerated intellectual, emotional and wisdom based processes. This can be empowering because the answers and the healing is all inside and readily available to the client, hence EMDR’s self-healing properties. The therapist often sits in silence watching for long periods of time, while the person, quietly, with eyes closed, has a free-association experience that profoundly reduces feelings of guilt, shame, anger and sadness. Afterwards, many people report a deeper knowing/insight into the experience at hand, a sense of freedom, spaciousness, lightness, happiness, joy, a sense of being clear headed, grounded, spacious, relaxed and becoming a compassionate witness to the mind. Clients also report an ability to see themselves moving forward in life with a different, more deeper embodied knowing.
Some clients report that they feel transformation occur in a short period of time. Their felt sense of knowing informs them that they have gained emotional health and balance without having to stay in the storytelling realms or talk about the events for too long.
Our approach to EMDR also ensures a secure and safe therapeutic connection with your therapist as a necessary ingredient and incorporates mindfulness/meditative resources for grounding, dual awareness and present moment experiencing for somatic integration.
We hope to share with you the sense of freedom in the body and the mind that comes from a wellspring of untapped natural resources that our system has already built in – a natural ability to heal oneself.
what is complex trauma?
Many people are remarkably resilient in the face of adversity and bounce back from a traumatic event. However, the capacity to bounce back relies heavily on the available support in the form of caring people who were invested in our wellbeing.
People are more likely to develop long term effects when there are emotionally unavailable or dismissive people around them as children and when abusive experiences are present for extended periods of time leading to learned helplessness and a loss of self-efficacy that follows people into adulthood causing emotional distress and accompanying negative/false beliefs about one’s sense of worth.
how do I know I have complex trauma?
Do you rely upon alcohol, substances or food to avoid feeling your pain?
Do you spend an excessive amount of hours watching TV or playing video games?
Do you spend so much time caring for others that you ignore yourself?
Do you tend to be critical and perfectionistic with yourself or others?
Do you focus so much on your work that you don’t have to feel or think about the past or feel your emotions?
Do you always need to escape pain or fear?
Do you tend to expect the worst to happen?
Do you often feel ashamed guilty or unworthy?
Do you tend to spend time with people that are emotionally/physically/verbally dangerous?
Do you feel disconnected from other people?
Do you have a difficult time trusting others or knowing who to trust?
Do you tend to avoid conflict?
Do you feel as though there is something wrong with you?
Do you have a hard time finding a sense of purpose or meaning to your life?
Do you feel disconnected from your body or emotionally numb?
If you answered yes to some of these questions and would like to learn more about this type of healing, please reach out to us.
what is an acute stress reaction?
Following exposure to a single traumatic event (such as a car accident), most people will experience feelings of confusion, panic, sadness, fear, anxiety, irritability, anger, agitation and despair. Physical symptoms can also include rapid heart rate, sweating, nausea or dizziness. These reactions will last about two to four weeks and resolve on their own, however, EMDR treatment can ensure that proper integration of this memory occurs and PTSD does not develop.
