EMDR Therapy
Why Consider Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy?
Oftentimes in life, when something painful or difficult happens, you have the resources and support needed to fully process and heal from the experience. Sometimes, however, what you witness or encounter can be so painful or confusing that it becomes more than your mental, emotional, and physical self can handle at the time, especially if you don’t have adequate support from those around you.
As a result, painful thoughts, memories, feelings, and bodily sensations tied to the experience—echoes of the past—can get “stuck” in your nervous system in an activated way. This can lead to emotional, psychological, and physical difficulties, which can stay with you for years and manifest in many different ways.
For instance, you may feel panic in situations that don’t quite make sense to you given the circumstances, or you may struggle with fears or phobias that are difficult to resolve. EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, helps you process and heal the difficult experiences from the past in a way that can free you from these burdensome ongoing effects.
Dr. Francine Shapiro developed EMDR in 1987, and since then, it has become a well-studied and empirically validated method of trauma treatment. Many people rightly associate EMDR with PTSD treatment because of its well-known reputation for successfully working with PTSD.
However, EMDR is by no means limited to treating PTSD or major trauma. It is a versatile tool that can address the impact of many different adverse life experiences—from major and minor traumatic events to emotional wounding so seemingly small, those who are suffering may not fully register the influence that this has in their lives.
Is EMDR Therapy Truly Effective?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy is a highly effective, mind-body approach to healing that can make a significant difference. There is a large amount of research supporting EMDR, much of it demonstrating its effectiveness for treating a wide range of conditions and experiences.[1]
In addition to PTSD, EMDR can be a useful treatment for anxiety, depression, somatic pain, panic disorder, grief and loss, substance use, disordered eating, and other trauma-related issues.
EMDR is a powerful tool for navigating illnesses, physical injuries, and childhood trauma, such as bullying or abuse, that continue to negatively influence your life. It can work effectively to help you change limiting thoughts about yourself and help you break out of patterns where you feel stuck.
In essence, EMDR therapy is a multifaceted approach to healing that can address a broad range of challenges and difficult experiences.
What Is The Actual EMDR Treatment Process Like?
EMDR therapy uses a well-developed structure that begins with establishing a calm and caring environment for you where you can feel safe and contained. We’ll start by exploring your situation, lightly touching on what brings you in and what you would like to accomplish through therapy.
I will introduce you to coping skills and grounding resources to help you navigate any uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, or sensations that may come up along the way. The way we do this is particular to who you are and the strategies that will work specifically for you. This stage is about creating a stable foundation for the process and ensuring you have all the tools you need at every step of the way.
The subsequent phases will help you move through painful experiences, heal past wounds, and transcend limiting and painful beliefs about yourself. I will support you to heal and move through the painful experiences you are focusing on as well as the associated networks of feelings and memories.
This part of EMDR therapy involves using bilateral stimulation techniques, such as back-and-forth eye movements, alternating sounds, or handheld “clickers.” There are many options for bilateral stimulation techniques, and we will choose the type that works best for you.
These techniques activate natural processes in your brain that enable you to move through difficult and traumatic experiences. Rather than being stuck in a place where your nervous system is always “hot,” your mind and body revved up and on guard, EMDR can interrupt and free you from this unproductive pattern of fear, hyper-arousal, and reactivity.
How Is EMDR Therapy Different From Other Treatment Modalities?
All of us encounter pain, adversity, and emotional wounding at some point in our lives. Sometimes, we can navigate these challenges in ways that feel healing and complete. Other times, however, we aren’t able to fully process and recover from these experiences.
Instead, they continue to echo throughout our inner lives, often in the form of negative thoughts, painful emotions, and unhelpful life patterns. In those moments of vulnerability and pain, difficulties, such as anxiety, depression, fear, grief, and negative ideas about yourself, can all take root.
Sometimes, the wounding is so profound that healing and addressing these issues requires specifically targeting the root cause and providing relief in a way that transcends symptom management. That’s where working with an EMDR counselor can be so beneficial.
If you want to look at the EMDR process scientifically, you can think about it like this: When trauma happens, it activates the Limbic Brain—the Paleomammalian Complex, or Midbrain—which is responsible for our flight/fight/freeze survival instincts. Sometimes, when trauma happens, we are able to access the inner resources and social support we need to process the experience so that it moves from the Limbic brain into the Neomammalian Complex, or Neocortex.
However, if you are not able to process the event in this way, the unprocessed difficult experience can essentially get stuck in the Limbic Brain, making your mind and body susceptible to either rocketing into overdrive in response to triggers or remaining on high alert—as if the experience is still ongoing.
EMDR and its bilateral stimulation techniques help you to move the unprocessed experience stuck in the Limbic Brain to the Neocortex so that it’s no longer as intense and overwhelming.
Is EMDR Therapy Right For Everyone?
In my work, choosing the right modality is all about identifying the best strategies for you based on your unique situation, who you are, and what you want to accomplish. Many patients find EMDR to be a dynamic tool that can be effective in numerous areas.
For instance, maybe you have a specific fear you want to overcome, and you like the idea of EMDR’s targeted and contained approach to healing. Perhaps you have tried other therapy modalities, but difficult experiences from the past (or painful or confusing emotions or symptoms) continue to feel raw and more easily triggered than you would like.
Or it could be that you have simply heard from friends that EMDR can be helpful and you would like to give it a try. You may know exactly what you want to work on when you come in, or you may not be sure exactly. Because EMDR is so flexible in its approach and application, either way is fine.
EMDR is one of multiple therapeutic tools I employ in my practice. I draw from a mix of approaches to do deep, meaningful work with my patients, including the following: psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approaches, Self Psychology, intersubjectivity, relational approaches, control mastery, EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) and attachment approaches.
Frequently, EMDR works as a standalone treatment option, while other times, it’s more effective when combined with other forms of therapy. In some cases, patients will make the progress they seek with EMDR and then decide they also want my support as a counselor to accomplish additional goals.
Sometimes, difficult experiences from the past and the resulting anxiety, depression, panic, and insecurity can feel overwhelming. You may not understand why certain thoughts, feelings, and memories continue to bother you and impact your life negatively in the way that they do. It can feel confusing, distressing, and, at times, hopeless—but change is possible.
EMDR is a well-tested approach to healing that can help you process difficult experiences and finally break the chains of the past. Working with an EMDR therapist frees you from the limitations and heaviness of all the fear, anger, and worry that’s been holding you down. My goal is to help you move forward with your life so you can look back on the past with less pain and a greater sense of peace.
We Can’t Change The Past, But We Can Grow And Move Forward In Peace
Whether you’re struggling under the weight of a painful experience or you need help navigating a period of difficulty in your life, I want to help relieve the burden you carry. I welcome you to call 510-500-9722 for your free, 20-minute consultation to see how my online and in-person EMDR counseling services can help you move forward with your life in peace.
Offering in-person therapy in Albany, Berkeley, and San Francisco as well as online services for residents throughout the state of California.
[1] https://www.emdr.com/efficacy/
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