Healing Trauma with EMDR Therapy

Nov 8

For individuals who have experienced trauma, it can feel like you’ll never be the same–and this isn’t totally inaccurate. Research has shown that exposure to traumatic events can actually cause physical changes in our brains that make it harder for us to tolerate and cope with stress. The good news is that there are treatments you can use to help heal from these traumatic experiences and their consequences, one of the most effective being Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Keep reading to learn more about this incredible intervention and whether it sounds like the right treatment for you.

What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or “EMDR” for short, is an evidence-based therapy technique that can help alleviate symptoms and emotional distress resulting from disturbing life experiences. EMDR treatment consists of 8 phases:

Phase 1: Diagnostic assessment and patient history
Phase 2: Coping skills and stress reduction techniques
Phase 3: Identification of the target memory
Phases 4-6: Desensitization and processing
Phase 7: Closure and stabilization
Phase 8: Re-evaluation

Depending on the severity of the trauma and resulting symptoms, it can take anywhere from 3 to 12 (or more) sessions to complete all of the phases of treatment, with each session typically lasting between 1 hour and 90 minutes.

How Does EMDR Work?

I know what you might be thinking at this point–”EMDR sounds pretty cool, but I just don’t get how moving my eyes can make me feel better!” Well, there’s a lot of neuroscience involved, but I’ll try to explain it as simply as possible.

Think of your brain as a computer. Typical events get saved to our hard drives as normal memories, and these memories get sorted and filed away with similar data when we go to sleep (specifically during REM sleep). When we experience trauma, our brains can temporarily go “offline” and the wires between our fear and emotion processing centers get crossed. Because of this, the data isn’t properly saved when we go to sleep–the traumatic event gets “stuck,” causing our brains to think that the danger is still present. When you undergo EMDR treatment, a therapist helps to guide your eye movements in a way that mimics what happens during REM sleep. In keeping with the computer analogy, this helps to repair our wiring and frees up the memory to be processed and stored like a normal memory.

Who is a Good Candidate for EMDR?

EMDR can be used by children, teenagers, and adults. It is most widely used for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but it is also used in the treatment of other diagnoses such as anxiety, depression, phobias, personality disorders, and more. EMDR can be used on its own or in conjunction with other treatment modalities (like CBT, DBT, or medication). While EMDR can be used for people of all ages and in various stages of treatment, it is important to note that it isn’t appropriate for everyone.

Getting Started with EMDR

If you believe that you might benefit from EMDR treatment, you can reach out to a mental health provider to determine whether or not you are a good candidate. It is important to make sure that you are working with a professional who is trained and certified in providing EMDR. At Collaborative Minds Psychotherapy, our therapist Max Kirshblum offers EMDR and would be happy to offer a free consultation to assess if it sounds like the right fit for you. We also have several other therapists who specialize in working with trauma and have availability to see both adolescents and adults.

Asking for help can be scary, but we’re here to support you every step of the way! Contact us today to schedule a free 15-minute call with our intake coordinator to learn more about our services and to discuss whether or not EMDR might be right for you.