23 Nov EMDR Therapy- New Orleans and Chicago | Issa Counseling
What is EMDR therapy?
The EMDR International Association provides the following definition for EMDR:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences.
EMDR focuses on helping people work through their traumas by giving the brain different ways to process the traumatic information in a safe space. It removes the fight or flight stress responses from the client’s memories, thus letting the brain continue healing from the trauma the way it’s supposed to. According to the EMDRIA, “our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help.” This is where EMDR becomes a useful therapeutic method.
What Does EMDR Therapy Look Like?
There are eight stages of EMDR. Sessions usually take between 60 and 90 minutes, and can be done as just one part of standard talk therapy, as a joint therapy undertaken at the same time but under a different therapist, or as a full treatment in itself. A trained mental health professional will take the client through the eight stages of EMDR, and will guide the process from start to finish. There is special licensing for this method, and you should be sure your therapist is qualified to perform it.
The Eight Stages of EMDR:
- Discovering the client’s history and planning their treatment.
- Preparing treatment methods for the client.
- Performing a traumatic memory assessment.
- Using eye movement to desensitize the client to upsetting memories.
- Installing positive thoughts that the client has previously identified.
- Doing a self-body scan.
- Seeking closure through self-control and stabilization.
Reevaluating the memory and associated feelings. (Descriptions provided by Red Oak Recovery)
How Does EMDR Work?
John Riddle, describes EMDR as a way to “reconnect the client in a safe way to the images, self-thoughts, emotions, and body sensations associated with [their] trauma, allowing the brain to move towards adaptive resolution.” In session, a client will choose a traumatic memory to work with. Then, they will connect to a negative self-belief related to the trauma, and replace it with a positive self-thought that they would like to have. For example, if a client has been abused, the negative self-belief may be that they deserved it. They would then identify a positive belief they would like to have, such as that they are a good person who deserves kindness. Then they will think through the memory and describe the physical and emotional sensations they are having. While this is happening, the therapist will be providing some kind of stimulus that creates bilateral (side to side) eye movement. Usually this consists of moving their fingers rapidly from side to side, but it can also be done with tactile sensations or sound. The bilateral movement is the important part.
The theory behind EMDR is that pairing this physical movement with the processing of a traumatic thought or memory helps both lobes of the brain communicate with each other better. This can restart processing and healing mechanisms in the brain that might have been stalled, and can help move the client’s inner perceptions into a better space, alleviating the symptoms of their trauma. Eventually, the client will gain distance from the memory and will be able to think about it without the accompanying feelings of panic or depression.
Who Should Use EMDR Therapy?
This type of therapy can be effective for many kinds of disorders. It is a common treatment for PTSD, anxiety, panic disorders, and depression. Its function of reorganizing the brain’s thought patterns, and assigning positive thoughts in the place of negative ones, make it an excellent treatment for any mental health challenge where the client enters into thought spirals that they have difficulty escaping from. It has also been used to treat chronic pain, and other physical challenges that present with psychological symptoms. There is no specific type of person who absolutely shouldn’t use EMDR; as with any kind of therapy, the effectiveness of the method depends on the individual. It is a valid option for anyone to try if they want to change their thought patterns and are struggling to do so through other methods.
What Are The Advantages Of EMDR Therapy?
Deciding which therapy works best for any given person is a very individualized process. There are, however, several distinct advantages that may make it a beneficial method. The first is that EMDR doesn’t actually require you to talk through the details of your trauma. Unlike traditional talk therapy, you won’t sit and verbally go over your memories with your therapist in order to process them. Instead, you will talk about how remembering your trauma makes you feel in the moment, in the safe space of your therapist’s office. This can be easier for those who are ready to start working through their traumatic memories, but might not yet be able to talk about them. It also means that you are doing less analysis of the memory, and instead performing more reorganization within your brain to retrain your thought patterns.
EMDR also takes up less time in both the short and long term. There is no homework between sessions like there is with some other methods, so there’s nothing outside the session that has to be fit into a busy schedule, and all the processing will be happening under the direct supervision of the therapist. EMDR also requires fewer sessions over all. It is suggested that people with single traumas could see results in only a few sessions, and even those with multiple complex traumas can see improvement after only three months. However, the process is different for everyone, so only you and your therapist will be able to work out how long your individual treatment might take. The shorter time frame is especially beneficial for those whose lives are being severely impacted by the symptoms of their trauma. This shortened treatment will allow them to get on the path to healing much faster.
Are there Any Side Effects to EMDR?
EMDR has similar side effects to other therapeutic methods. These are not physical side effects like with medication. Rather, people undergoing this kind of therapy may experience increased physical and emotional sensations, a stronger trigger response to their trauma as they work through it, more vivid dreams, and the return of sensitive memories. These effects will decrease as the treatment progresses, and are a normal part of healing. If you are experiencing them, make your therapist aware of what you are going through and the two of you can work on coping skills you can use to address these issues until they subside.
At Issa Behavioral Counseling, we have therapists trained to perform EMDR therapy. If you think this is a treatment you would like to explore to work through your traumatic memories and create positive changes and healing in your life, please Contact Us to schedule an appointment.
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