EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION REPROCESSING

EMDR is a powerful and effective therapeutic technique that can help you to process traumatic or emotional experiences thoroughly and quickly with use of eye movements, sounds, or tapping. While at first you may feel more intense, eventually, and sometimes quite quickly, you will feel relief, peaceful, and resolved about the event or upsetting emotion.

THE PROCESS

First, we do an assessment – I will ask you questions about what is bothering you, your childhood, adulthood, and your present situation. Doing a thorough assessment helps prepare both of us for what may emerge during the EMDR.

When we’re ready to begin the EMDR, I ask you to focus on one aspect of the traumatic or upsetting event or, in the case of anxiety or phobias, a time that you felt anxious. I will ask you to recall how you felt, and what you thought, saw, and heard.

Then I will ask you to put on headphones and, as you remember the disturbing event or emotional state, to hear the alternating tones. Or you can look at a light bar (which sits on a tripod a few feet in front of you), and with your eyes follow the movement of the light that moves back-and-forth along a straight line, moving your eyes from left to right, back and forth.

After listening to the tones or doing eye movements for a short while (a minute or two), I will ask you to take a break and tell me what you are aware of (feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and body sensations). I listen empathically and then ask you to do it again (listen to the tones or move your eyes back and forth) focusing on what came up. We continue in this way – listening to the tones or moving your eyes, taking a break and sharing your experiences, back to the tones or eye movements and so on. Some people prefer to talk while listening to the tones or during the eye movements and that’s fine too; we’ll still take breaks. EMDR is a tool, and we will find the best way for it to benefit you.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING EMDR?

After listening to the tones for a while people experience a moderate or intense recalling of the traumatic event and/or an increase in intensity in how they feel, both of which are processed by the bi-lateral stimulation of the tones or eye movements.

People who have already processed a lot of the emotional content find that their thinking processes become clearer, allowing them to consider new and different perspectives about the event. Others find that it awakens feelings about the event that they may not have been aware of, or not to that degree. Some find that their feelings and thoughts intensify simultaneously.

There is no one way to feel, think, or experience EMDR – everyone is different and processes their feelings and experiences in their own unique way.

WHAT DOES EMDR FEEL LIKE?

People who have trouble getting in touch with how they feel about an event, or who are reluctant to, sometimes find that EMDR makes it easier. This method helps them to go into the memory or feelings without much effort, and maintain their control.

Many people describe the experience as feeling as if they are back in the painful event while feeling securely in the present. There is a sense of being close to the memory or feelings, while being distant from it at the same time. This dual experience of being simultaneously close and distant assists in a faster processing of the event. This can make it less overwhelming, and still be very deep work.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

We know that EMDR stimulates both sides of the brain (bilateral stimulation) and by doing so activates both sides of the brain in the processing of the distressing event or feelings. This brings about a deeper, more thorough processing of the traumatic event, or upsetting emotions. EMDR is stimulating the body’s natural ability to heal and process experiences.

It’s believed that the eye movements may be similar to REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) which is our body’s natural way to process experiences by use of eye movements.

The effectiveness of EMDR may also be due to the fact that it facilitates dual awareness and dual processing – processing past visual material (the upsetting image you hold in your mind) while being anchored in the present with a visual or auditory cue (the moving light or tone.) The combination of being rooted in the present while processing past material seems to help people heal faster.

By stimulating both sides of the brain, and dual awareness processing, you are able to more fully process your experience rather than getting stuck looping over and over the same thing. EMDR used in conjunction with other therapeutic tools allows for a more thorough resolution – a letting go.

Problems and issues where EMDR can help:

• Emotional / upsetting experiences
• Memories of traumatic events (abuse, automobile accidents, etc.)
• Overwhelming/intense emotions
• Reoccurring and upsetting Images
• Grief and loss
• Depression
• Panic attacks
• Flashbacks
• Anxiety
• Intense triggers
• Reoccurring nightmares
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Obsessive thoughts

EMDR is an effective tool to help you to overcome trauma and other emotionally charged events and emotional responses. When EMDR is combined with other therapeutic approaches it can be effective in overcoming all sorts of painful experiences and their related emotions, thoughts, and body sensations.