EMDR

What Is EMDR Therapy?

For over 30 years, EMDR therapy has been studied and used by licensed mental health professionals to help individuals that have experienced traumatic events process their experiences in a safe manner. Organizations like the U.S. Department of Defense and various behavioral health practices regularly leverage EMDR to support individuals as they heal the impacts of trauma, both physical and relational in manner. 

But what is EMDR therapy? How does it work and who does it benefit?
That’s what we’ll be taking a look at today. In this article, we’ll be providing a brief overview of EMDR and its various applications in modern psychology. 

EMDR Therapy Definition

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of phased and focused therapy that’s most commonly used to treat trauma, desensitize painful or activating memories, and help individuals to transform negative beliefs that cause unwanted symptoms and relational issues. It aims to reconnect patients with a set of images, body sensations, and emotions associated with such trauma in a safe and measured way. 

Developed by Francine Shapiro in 1987, EMDR is based on the idea that symptoms occur when trauma and other challenging experiences overwhelm the brain’s ability to heal. Those practicing EMDR therapy follow a specific protocol that utilizes bilateral stimulation (eye movement) to promote the desensitization of specific memory networks. 

How Does EMDR Work?

EMDR therapy involves patients safely reprocessing traumatic information in a way that allows patients to feel empowered and less emotionally charged.

There are multiple phases to EMDR therapy, and in the reprocessing phase, a client identifies a challenging memory with the guidance of their therapist.  If it’s a negative belief, they form a more positive memory that they’d like to have.

The therapist supports the patient as they work through the memory. The client goes through the reprocessing while focusing on an external stimulus, oftentimes bilateral eye movement. The external stimulus may be lights, vibrating “tappers,” or the therapist might move two fingers during this process. 

After each set of bilateral movements, the patient is asked how they feel. This continues until the memory ceases to be disturbing. The bilateral movement helps the brain rework the negative belief and creates new neural pathways.. 

It’s believed that bilateral stimulation bypasses the area of the brain that processes memories that have become stuck due to the trauma and is preventing the brain from proper processing. By reprocessing the memories, clients are able to move traumatic memories from the emotional part of their brain into their working memory where they can gain new insight and create new perspectives. During EMDR, the client processes the memory safely and leads to a peaceful resolution. 

Who Uses EMDR Therapy?

EMDR therapy is recognized by the American Psychological Association and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. It’s also been adopted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

It’s often used to treat individuals suffering from trauma related to a variety of events. Common traumatic experiences include sexual abuse, combat trauma, childhood neglect, depression, substance abuse, and life-threatening events. EMDR is also very helpful for individuals who have anxiety, panic, persistent negative beliefs, depression, and OCD. EMDR works to heal wounds from early interactions. EMDR, when practiced by a trained and certified therapist, has been proven to help children, adolescents, and adults.