What Is EMDR And How Does It Work
Many people carry the weight of unresolved trauma with them, whether they realize it or not. Past traumatic experiences can influence how we behave at work or at home. It can also dictate how we handle the everyday stressors that occur in life.
Whether great or small, traumatic experiences leave a lasting impact on the body and function of the brain. Like an untreated physical injury, those traumas limit our ability to live life to its fullest.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful, science-driven therapy that allows people to process old trauma and heal from the painful experiences of the past.
What is EMDR?
EMDR was pioneered as a treatment for PTSD in the late 1980s and 1990s. It has been used effectively in treating a wide variety of individuals. Veterans returning from war, sexual assault survivors, and victims of childhood abuse and neglect have all benefited from the treatment. EMDR Therapy works by taking advantage of the link between bilateral stimulation and activity in the areas of the brain where traumatic memories are stored.
As a therapy, EMDR utilizes the brain’s natural elasticity and ability to heal to allow individuals to reprocess past traumatic experiences, and change the beliefs and behaviors associated with them.
How Does EMDR Work?
During a traumatic experience, our body is flooded with stress hormones like cortisol. Hormones like this have a powerful effect on us—triggering a primitive fight-or-flight response. Our heart rate picks up and how we take in oxygen changes. Often, our senses and reaction times become sharper—animal instincts and the unconscious mind takes over to help us survive a dangerous situation. While this is meant to help us survive in the wild, it’s often triggered by uncertain or scary situations.
When we experience that fight-or-flight response, our brain stores memories differently, packaging them into areas of the brain reserved for emotional and unconscious memories. Triggers such as smells, tones of voice, or other associations we may be unaware of can activate these memories.
Healing past trauma requires accessing those emotions.
EMDR & Bilateral Stimulation
EMDR Therapy uses bilateral stimulation to activate areas of the brain linked to traumatic memories. Bilateral stimulation usually consists of rapid back-and-forth left-to-right eye movements directed by a trained therapist. In certain cases, therapists may also utilize auditory stimulation, where sound rapidly oscillates from the right ear to the left.
Regardless of the type of stimulation used, research has shown that bilateral stimulation aids individuals in recalling traumatic events with greater detail. During a guided EMDR therapy session, the therapist will work with the client to explore those memories in a safe, judgment-free environment.
The goal of the therapy is to allow those memories to be reprocessed. With time and patience, the reprocessing effect can ‘release’ the fight-or-flight response attached to those traumatic memories. Once released, unhealthy beliefs and patterns tied to those memories can be corrected.
Benefits of EMDR Therapy
One of the main benefits of EMDR Therapy is its flexibility. EMDR Therapy offers the flexibility of conducting sessions either in-person or via remote session. EMDR Therapy emphasizes taking action and striving towards goals.
Therapists and clients work collaboratively to resolve pressing real-world issues and create a roadmap to identify and address related traumas.
Schedule a Consultation
If you're interested in learning whether EMDR Therapy might be right for you, reach out to schedule a consultation. I would love to be part of helping you heal the wounds of past trauma.
