What is EMDR?

When you start the search for a therapist you are entering into a world of acronyms. LPCC, LMFT, LICSW, CBT, DBT, EMDR. All these letters following people’s names and areas of specialty can get confusing. So here is a little insight into a certain combination of letters, EMDR. EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a type of psychotherapy modality. If a therapist has EMDR as one of their specialty areas, this means that the therapist went through an extra training course as well as consultation to be trained in that therapy modality.

So what might bring a client to seek out a therapist trained in EMDR? EMDR is an evidenced based approach that focuses on using the brain’s natural built in information processing system to help reprocess and resolve the lasting effects related to past traumatic experiences.

Just like how our body innately works to close and heal cuts or broken bones, the brain’s information processing system has an innate ability to move towards healing. But at times this process can get blocked or imbalanced due to the impact of a disturbing event or repeated injury, which can cause emotional suffering and pain. Once the blocks are removed, healing can resume. Therefore, EMDR has been shown to help activate the natural healing processes, moving individuals from pain to healing. This process takes past experiences and updates them with present information which helps to make a past experience a memory of the past instead of a relived experience when triggered. EMDR addresses the many effects that remain after trauma occurs such as negative beliefs about self like “I am not safe” or “I am a bad person,” sensory information related to inner experiencing such as mental images, memories, and body sensations related to the trauma, as well as emotions.

So how does EMDR help “jump start” this innate healing process? By using what is called Bilateral Stimulation. What this means is providing stimulation or sensory information to both our right and left side of our body. This can be done in the original sense by using eye movements (ahh, the name is starting to make more sense) or using physical tapping, alternating sounds, or vibrating pods. The bilateral stimulation has been shown to do a few things such as it helps the brain access both the left hemisphere (more logical) and the right hemisphere (more emotional) to work through previously difficult material, helps with recalling memory, helps provide dual attention by allowing attention to remain in the present moment while the brain recalls past events which helps regulate arousal, and has a calming effect. Humans tend to find relaxation and ease related to things with a steady rhythm such as the waves of the ocean or in eb and flow of breathing, which is the similar affect with the bilateral stimulation. And even with the calming affects, uncomfortable or distressing emotions are likely to arise during the reprocessing, but this is encouraged with EMDR as it is seen as part of the healing processing, allowing old blocked emotions to move through.

EMDR also involves preparation for reprocessing through the building of resourcing and coping skills. This often involves guided imagery focusing on resulting felt sensations within the body of ease, relaxation, and calm as well as breathing exercises and self-administered bilateral stimulation such as butterfly hugs (crossing your arms you’re your chest while alternating between squeezing your left and right bicep). This helps with providing you with tools to help aide in stress management and emotion regulation in between sessions.

If this sounds like a therapy modality that interests you, there are multiple therapists at Wild Tree Psychotherapy that are trained in using EMDR, just ask for this information when you call.

Written by Malinda King, MA, LPCC

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