What Is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) has had more clinical studies than any other form of therapy. Francine Shapiro discovered this technique in the 1980’s, and immediately tested it through controlled studies of Vietnam veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The results have made EMDR the treatment of choice for many people who have experienced trauma. EMDR has also proven to be useful in dealing with anxiety, panic attacks, grief, disturbing memories, sexual and/or physical abuse, phobias, eating disorders, performance anxiety, and stress reduction. EMDR has been recognized as a viable and effective method of treatment by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the American Psychological Association (APA) and the United States Department of Defense.
The brain, like the body, is designed to heal itself. If you get a cut on your arm, assuming it does not become infected, will heal itself and after a month you will not even be able to see the area of injury. It is believed that the brain works the same way. Most "minor" stressors are able to be self-repaired by the brain.
But sometimes you have an experience that overwhelms your capacity to deal with it. When that happens, instead of processing the experience, the brain wraps it up in a package—including all the associated images, thoughts, body sensations, and emotions—and files it away, along with negative beliefs such as “I am insignificant,” or “I am powerless,” or “It’s not okay to show my emotions,” or “I cannot trust anyone.” You can imagine that such self-beliefs make it very difficult for someone to sustain a healthy sense of self-esteem or to form and maintain intimate relationships. Brain scans show these unprocessed memories to be unconnected with the neural network. They just sit there in the brain, along with the negative self-beliefs whose influence may extend across many decades.
We call those overwhelming, unprocessed experiences “trauma.” Most people, when they hear that word think of soldiers returning from military combat, survivors of an earthquake or tsunami, or victims of sexual abuse. For a soldier, for example, the sound of car backfiring may immediately transport him or her back to the battleground, with images of flares overheard and sounds of injured comrades nearby and the sensation of a rapidly beating heart as the body goes into protective stress mode.
EMDR is a method of bringing these unprocessed memories in touch with the part of the brain that does the processing. Essentially, EMDR facilitates the natural healing powers of the brain. The client holds in mind the image that represents the worst part of the experience while the therapist alternately stimulates the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This does not require implanting electrodes! The stimulation takes the form of fingers moving in front of your eyes while you track them; or tapping your knees, left-right-left-right; or sounding a clicker by your ears, left-right-left-right.
This stimulation initiates what may be described as a kind of train ride, in which your brain lays down the
track. Neither you nor the therapist knows the destination, but the brain goes where it needs to go in order to heal the unprocessed memory. You can think of the therapist as your blind companion in the train coach. After each set, the therapist will ask, “What did you notice?” You may say, “I’m scared” or “He is being mean to me” and the therapist will write that down. But the important thing in processing trauma, using EMDR is that you will not be re-traumatized. You are never going to disappear back into the experience and have to experience it again. You will always remain aware of being safe, in a room with the therapist.
EMDR does not involve “erasing” memories but EMDR does remove the ability of a memory to distress you. You will always be able to recall the experience, even after processing, but the recollection will no longer be as upsetting. Moreover, negative beliefs such as the ones that we mentioned earlier will be replaced by positive beliefs: “I am significant,” or “I am strong,” or “I can safely show my emotions,” or “I can choose whom to trust.”
The client’s job is not to analyze, criticize, or to hold on to the passing scenes, but simply to observe. Some clients, particularly those of a strongly analytical nature, find this difficult. They want to know why they’re seeing a particular image, or they may want to try to fit their experience into a neat analytical framework. EMDR differs in this regard form traditional talk therapy. Returning to the analogy of a cut on the arm, the physical process of healing is too gradual to be observed. You notice certain stages in the healing process, but you cannot actually see it taking place. Only time-lapse photography would permit you to see what happens
when the body heals itself. EMDR, by contrast, allows you to see your brain healing in real time.
While EMDR has proven to be very helpful, it should not be considered a quick fix. Each person is unique and will need to be evaluated by a qualified professional to make sure that EMDR would be an appropriate form of treatment. The therapist and client will then work together to develop the most beneficial treatment plan.
For additional information about EMDR, please go to www.emdria.org
The brain, like the body, is designed to heal itself. If you get a cut on your arm, assuming it does not become infected, will heal itself and after a month you will not even be able to see the area of injury. It is believed that the brain works the same way. Most "minor" stressors are able to be self-repaired by the brain.
But sometimes you have an experience that overwhelms your capacity to deal with it. When that happens, instead of processing the experience, the brain wraps it up in a package—including all the associated images, thoughts, body sensations, and emotions—and files it away, along with negative beliefs such as “I am insignificant,” or “I am powerless,” or “It’s not okay to show my emotions,” or “I cannot trust anyone.” You can imagine that such self-beliefs make it very difficult for someone to sustain a healthy sense of self-esteem or to form and maintain intimate relationships. Brain scans show these unprocessed memories to be unconnected with the neural network. They just sit there in the brain, along with the negative self-beliefs whose influence may extend across many decades.
We call those overwhelming, unprocessed experiences “trauma.” Most people, when they hear that word think of soldiers returning from military combat, survivors of an earthquake or tsunami, or victims of sexual abuse. For a soldier, for example, the sound of car backfiring may immediately transport him or her back to the battleground, with images of flares overheard and sounds of injured comrades nearby and the sensation of a rapidly beating heart as the body goes into protective stress mode.
EMDR is a method of bringing these unprocessed memories in touch with the part of the brain that does the processing. Essentially, EMDR facilitates the natural healing powers of the brain. The client holds in mind the image that represents the worst part of the experience while the therapist alternately stimulates the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This does not require implanting electrodes! The stimulation takes the form of fingers moving in front of your eyes while you track them; or tapping your knees, left-right-left-right; or sounding a clicker by your ears, left-right-left-right.
This stimulation initiates what may be described as a kind of train ride, in which your brain lays down the
track. Neither you nor the therapist knows the destination, but the brain goes where it needs to go in order to heal the unprocessed memory. You can think of the therapist as your blind companion in the train coach. After each set, the therapist will ask, “What did you notice?” You may say, “I’m scared” or “He is being mean to me” and the therapist will write that down. But the important thing in processing trauma, using EMDR is that you will not be re-traumatized. You are never going to disappear back into the experience and have to experience it again. You will always remain aware of being safe, in a room with the therapist.
EMDR does not involve “erasing” memories but EMDR does remove the ability of a memory to distress you. You will always be able to recall the experience, even after processing, but the recollection will no longer be as upsetting. Moreover, negative beliefs such as the ones that we mentioned earlier will be replaced by positive beliefs: “I am significant,” or “I am strong,” or “I can safely show my emotions,” or “I can choose whom to trust.”
The client’s job is not to analyze, criticize, or to hold on to the passing scenes, but simply to observe. Some clients, particularly those of a strongly analytical nature, find this difficult. They want to know why they’re seeing a particular image, or they may want to try to fit their experience into a neat analytical framework. EMDR differs in this regard form traditional talk therapy. Returning to the analogy of a cut on the arm, the physical process of healing is too gradual to be observed. You notice certain stages in the healing process, but you cannot actually see it taking place. Only time-lapse photography would permit you to see what happens
when the body heals itself. EMDR, by contrast, allows you to see your brain healing in real time.
While EMDR has proven to be very helpful, it should not be considered a quick fix. Each person is unique and will need to be evaluated by a qualified professional to make sure that EMDR would be an appropriate form of treatment. The therapist and client will then work together to develop the most beneficial treatment plan.
For additional information about EMDR, please go to www.emdria.org