Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
- EMDR Therapy
In life, there are times when we endure experiences that are acutely damaging. The impact of these experiences lasts long after the moment is over and can create challenges in our every-day life for years to come. Those experiences are referred to as “traumas” and they are, unfortunately, a common occurrence at some point in most people’s lives. Experiencing a traumatic event often has a long-lasting psychological effect on those who suffered, leading to PTSD and other disturbing symptoms. While there are many treatments to assist in the management of those symptoms and the emotional distress that comes from a trauma, one of the methods proven most effective and beneficial is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR.
What is EMDR?
EMDR therapy is a type of psychotherapy that allows individuals to heal from the symptoms and distress that has occurred as a result of trauma or significant negative life experience. It is a highly successful treatment for PTSD and other mental illnesses that are a result of trauma and has been proven to cure patients completely and eliminate all disturbing symptoms, returning them back to a state of health and functionality. When you experience trauma or a devastation of some sort, your brain naturally wants to heal – just as the body does when it experiences a trauma or injury. But sometimes, the impact of the trauma puts a barrier in your brain that doesn’t allow it to heal normally or effectively. The process of EMDR therapy helps to remove that barrier, allowing your brain to finally heal from whatever trauma, loss or injury it has experienced.
What does it help with?
EMDR is the most popular treatment method for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), although it is also used in the treatment of other common mental health conditions.
Some other conditions that EMDR is used to treat include:
Panic Attacks
Eating Disorders
Bipolar Disorders
Anxiety/Panic Disorders
Addiction
If you have any of the above listed mental health conditions, talk to your doctor or other healthcare provider about EMDR resources near you. At Insight Northwest Counseling, we are able to offer the treatment of EMDR therapy and would love to collaborate with you to figure out the best course of treatment for whatever your needs may be.
What to expect from EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) works by targeting the traumatic thoughts, events or memories associated with one’s symptoms and helping to reprocess them. The process allows the individual to associate different variables and emotions to the memories of the traumas, lessening their negative impact and symptoms in day-to-day life. The EMDR therapist uses eye movements or other bilateral stimulation while allowing the client to recall their memories and traumatic situations. The shift in focus and distraction helps the individual to reprocess their traumas in a different setting and attach different emotional reactions to their memories.
A typical EMDR therapy session lasts 60 minutes and can take several sessions, depending on the extent of the trauma or how many traumatic experiences need to be processed. In each session, the EMDR therapist follows a three-pronged process to ensure the complete processing of each trauma.
Past memories
Present disturbance
Future actions
The therapist will process past memories and traumas with the individual, by having them recall certain aspects of the memory and hold certain details in mind. As they are doing this, the therapist will have the individual use his eyes to focus on external stimulation (lateral eye movements). As this happens, the client will begin to process the memories and disturbing emotions, while transforming the associations and responses on an emotional level.
EMDR does not involve extensive “reliving” or talking in depth about each experience, nor does it include extensive “homework” like other forms of psychotherapy involve. It is known to be almost immediately effective, and many people have a radical positive response and heal their PTSD symptoms within 1-5 sessions.
The Phases of EMDR Therapy
In the process of focusing on the three time periods listed above (past, present and future), EMDR therapists use a protocol of eight different phases. The client is evaluated before and after each session and after the entire process itself, to track growth and the pace of healing.
Phase 1: The first phase of EMDR therapy is when the therapist learns about the client’s extensive history and then develops a treatment plan based on the information they receive. Often this phase lasts for the first 1-2 sessions and focuses first on the client’s distant past (especially if they had a traumatic childhood), then on more recent traumatic events or the reason they sought EMDR therapy. They will also get to know the client’s present disturbances and things that need addressing in their current life. Once the therapist is well acquainted with the client’s history, they can decide the best and most-effective course of action moving forward and how best to treat their specific set of needs.
Phase 2: The second phase of EMDR therapy is when the therapist offers the client many tools and techniques for calming, relaxation and stress reduction. In this phase, the therapist is aiming to give their client the best possible opportunity to cope with their current stress or anything that inevitably causes them emotional pain or stress in their life. This phase is a good opportunity for the therapist to build a deeper, trusting relationship with the client. Though the client isn’t required to go into detail on their past traumas and memories, the therapy will be most effective if the client fully trusts their therapist. In addition to offering the client coping skills and techniques to deal with stress, in phase 2, the therapist will also explain what the client can expect in EMDR and answer any questions about the process. This is also known as the “preparation phase”.
Phase 3: The third phase, often referred to as “the assessment” phase. In this portion of the treatment, the client will be guided to target their past traumatic experiences in order to process them. To process these events does not mean the client has to go into great detail or recall the entire memory start to finish, but they will be led to recall specific thoughts, feelings or sensations from the event. They’ll be asked to select a specific image or mental picture from the event that they feel best represents the memory. Then, they will be asked to choose a statement that they feel best summarizes how they feel about the memory. This doesn’t have to be how they think, just how they feel – often the two are distinctly different. For example, a person who was sexually assaulted may know that they are not shameful, but they may feel incredibly shameful about the event. They’ll be asked to verbally convey that statement while recalling the targeted image. Then, they will be asked to choose a positive belief about the event that they would rather believe. Again, the client doesn’t have to think it to be true, but they must have a strong internal desire to possess this feeling. The initial negative statement might be “I am worthless,” and the positive statement that replaces that could be, “I am worthy”.
In phase 3, the client will also be asked to rate or estimate how true they believe the positive beliefs to be on a scale called Validity of Cognition (VOC), which ranges from 1-7. They will also then rate their level of discomfort and negative emotions using a different scale called the Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD) scale. This scale rates from 0-10.
Phase 4: In the fourth stage, the EMDR therapist focuses on desensitization. It is in this phase which the therapist performs the eye movement, sounds or tapping process. The therapist will focus on the targeted trauma and then other associated traumas as they are rated by the SUDs scale, and work to associate those memories with a different focus, repeatedly until the client’s SUD ratings are at a 0, 1 or 2.
Phase 5: The 5th phase of treatment is focused on installation. Its purpose and goal is to increase the strength of the positive beliefs that the client has expressed in phase 3. During this phase, the client’s belief in their new mindset and thoughts regarding the event will be strengthened and practiced. The goal is for the person to believe the positive cognition at a rating of 7 on the VOC scale by the end of this phase. So, they should feel that their positive statement is completely true.
Phase 6: This portion of the process is referred to as the “body scan” phase. During this phase, the EMDR therapist will ask the client to recall the original target event and evaluate if there is any physical response noticed in the body. Trauma has been shown to be carried in the body memory, and so observing the physical sensations when targeting a trauma memory is a really successful way to test if there are any residual negative reactions. If there are, they will be targeted and reprocessed again.
An EMDR therapy is not considered successful until the client can recall their trauma without feeling any body tension.
Phase 7: The seventh phase of the EMDR treatment process is dedicated to closure. Each EMDR therapy session will end this way, as with the entire EMDR therapy process as a whole. It is integral in the process that the therapist ensures that the client feels better upon leaving the session than they felt upon entering. In the cases that the trauma isn’t fully processed in one session, it is the therapist’s role to offer self-calming methods and helpful coping techniques to ensure that they leave in a balanced place. The client and therapist will also discuss what might be expected in between or following each session and how to manage the symptoms, thoughts and mental images that may arise.
Phase 8: In the final phase of EMDR therapy, the individual is reassessed. This phase happens at the beginning of each session as well as after the entire process is complete. It is one of the most important phases, as it gives the therapist a clear idea of where the client is in their healing process, as well as what treatment still needs to be done and how.
Seeking EMDR Treatment
While there are several different types of therapy used to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental health conditions that are a result of trauma, EMDR is now known to be one of the most successful. If you would like to learn more about EMDR therapy or feel ready to start your treatment, book an appointment with us today.
We are ready to walk by your side as you heal through whatever difficulty you are facing.