EMDR is an approach to therapy that has become popular in recent years thanks to the research showing it can be very effective in treating trauma / PTSD.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is an evidenced-based therapy for the treatment of trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other counseling issues.
It was created out of the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) Model for the treatment of trauma, disturbing life events, mental health and emotional issues, and somatic symptoms.
AIP holds that much psychopathology is the result of the faulty encoding or incomplete processing of information by the brain. In particular, trauma events (both big ”T” and little “t”) are stored in an isolated, highly reactive form.
In this static state, the trauma is easily stimulated in daily life, becoming highly disruptive to the person’s emotional state. An example would be a former soldier who has returned to civilian life. He hears a car backfire similar to a gunshot and has an instant fight or flight response.
The goal of treatment is to facilitate the problematic information to integrate with the mind. EMDR utilizes an eight-stage, three-pronged therapeutic intervention aimed at assisting the client’s mind to process/digest difficult emotions and experiences.
The 8 Phases of EMDR
- Phase 1: History and Treatment Planning.
- Phase 2: Preparation.
- Phase 3: Assessment & Reprocessing.
- Phase 4: Desensitization.
- Phase 5: Installation.
- Phase 6: Body Scan.
- Phase 7: Closure.
- Phase 8: Re-evaluation.
This modality uses a three-pronged (past -> present -> future) approach to assist in targeting past experiences, present triggers, and future challenges.
Patients move through processing difficult past events, current manifestations of difficulty, and install new resources to cope effectively with the issue in future. Focus on trauma or difficult experience is paired with bilateral stimulation, directed by the therapist, to facilitate the brain’s ability to heal itself. The information is effectively reprocessed, leading to a decrease in troubling symptoms.
Research has demonstrated that EMDR is rapid, safe, and effective. The majority of patients can expect an increase in healthy functioning and a decrease in dysfunctional emotional, cognitive, somatic, and temporal symptoms.
Many patients who have made slow progress in the past or who have not benefited from more traditional therapies say that with EMDR they have finally found something that works for them!
What Is EMDR Effective in Treating?
Though often utilized to great effect in working through trauma, EMDR has been shown to be effective in dealing with a wide range of issues. These include:
- Abuse/Neglect: Abandonment Experiences, Rape & Assault Recovery, Shame, Emotional/Psychological/Physical Abuse, Neglect, Betrayals
- Anger: Chronic, Uncontrollable Anger Outbursts, Misdirected Anger, Overreaction, Obsession
- Anxiety: Indecisiveness, Phobias, Performance Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Shyness, Social Anxiety, Performance Anxiety PTSD, Obsession, Stress Management
- Blocks: Performance Anxiety, Phobias & Fears (Examples: Fear of Public Speaking, Heights, Stage Fright, Etc.)
- Trauma: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Combat Recovery, Rape & Assault Recovery, Accidents
- Destructive Behavior Choosing Unsafe/Unhealthy Relationships, Attraction to Destructive Individuals, Poor Work Behavior,
- Depression Excessive Guilt/Shame, Sadness, Lack of Motivation, Emotional Overeating, Isolation.
