EMDR Treatment

EMDR Treatment is based on the theory of adaptive information processing (AIP), which posits that traumatic events are not properly processed in the brain when they happen and that the memories of them are stored differently than normal ones, which is why they can continue to affect you long after the trauma has passed.

Memories of normal events are stored and networked in a way that connects and integrates them with related emotions and other retained information to help you make sense of your experience. Traumatic events, on the other hand, do not get networked correctly and are stored in a dysfunctional, often fragmented way, separated from other memories rather than merged with them.

Because of this disconnect, sights, sounds, and smells that bear any perceived connection or similarity to the original trauma trigger the improperly stored memories and the mind accesses them in a distorted, overpowering way that elicits all the same emotions and physical sensations as the original experience did. The past becomes the present, and the memory of it is reinforced as you continue to relive the event repeatedly.

The goal of EMDR treatment

The goal of EMDR treatment is to help you reprocess the improperly stored traumatic memories so you can heal from their effects. Using bilateral stimulation, your brain is enabled to create new connections, unblock the fragmented memories, and integrate them into its larger memory bank, thus reducing their vividness and decreasing the intensity of the emotions associated with them.

EMDR treatment sets the brain’s natural healing process in motion by using guided eye movements to activate both sides of the brain and anchor it in the present moment while you focus on the past. This enables you to reprocess what you remember about the traumatic event and repair the mental injury it caused so that thinking about it no longer feels as though you are reliving it, and your symptoms become much more manageable.

EMDR is a short-term structured treatment that typically takes about twelve weekly sessions, although it can be longer or shorter depending on your specific needs. It consists of the following eight phases.

• History. The therapist will review your history, help you identify specific memories to target and the level of distress they cause, and use this information to create a treatment plan.
• Preparation. The therapist will explain how EMDR works and teach you relaxation techniques you can use to help you cope with any uncomfortable sensations you may have during the desensitization phase of the treatment process.
• Assessment. The therapist will help you identify a negative belief about yourself the targeted memory elicits, such as “I am powerless,” as well as a positive one you would like to be able to replace it with, such as “I am in control,” or “I have a choice.”
• Desensitization. The therapist will have you fixate on the targeted memory while following the side-to-side movement of his or her fingers, or a light, with your eyes. You will then have an opportunity to share any thoughts or insights you gained. Depending on whether your symptoms have eased or not, you will then either resume processing the same memory or move on to another one.
• Installation. The therapist will repeat phase 4 while having you focus on the positive belief you want to bolster.
• Body scan. The therapist will determine how you feel physically and emotionally. If you are still experiencing a strong negative response to the memory, phases 4 and 5 will be repeated until the distress eases up.
• Closure. Before leaving, the therapist will ensure that you are feeling better than you did when you came in and equip you with strategies you can use to cope with any distressing emotions that may come up between sessions.
• Re-evaluation. At the beginning of each session, the therapist will assess your progress and make any necessary adjustments.

If you have questions about this article on EMDR treatment or would like to learn more about it, please don’t hesitate to give our office a call. 

References:

Cleveland Clinic Editorial Staff. “EMDR Therapy.” Cleveland Clinic. Reviewed March 29, 2022. my.cleveland.clinic.org/health/treatments/22641-emdr-therapy.

Rebecca Valdez. “How Does EMDR Therapy Work?” Verywell Health. Updated February 11, 2023. verywellhealth.com/emdr-therapy-5212839.