Eye Movement Desensitization
and Reprocessing:
How Can It Help You?

Intense or intrusive memories of a traumatic experience can keep you from moving forward, particularly when they are not processed or fully digested. These distressing experiences can linger, haunting you for months or years and prevent you from achieving your life goals. Experiencing this can be overwhelming, therapy can help.

Traumatic experiences can leave lasting effects and cause intense symptoms that impact your ability to feel like yourself. If you have tried other treatment approaches and are beginning to lose hope you may want to look into Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR has helped many individuals work through their trauma related symptoms and come out stronger on the other side.

Trauma as a Constant Companion

Surviving a traumatic experience can leave you more susceptible to developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. These symptoms may not appear immediately, they can begin months or even years later. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, PTSD symptoms can be categorized into three categories:

Re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive distressing recollections of the event, flashbacks, and nightmares.
Emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma.
Increased arousal such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, and being easily irritated, panic etc.

These symptoms can interfere with your life, preventing you from completing even simple tasks. They can leave you wanting to avoid people and situations. PTSD symptoms can make it feel as if you are reliving your trauma day after day. It can be difficult for those closest to you to understand what is going on which can add another layer to what you are already dealing with.

How Can EMDR Help You Move Past Trauma?

EMDR is a psychotherapy technique that involves “desensitization using eye movement and reprocessing.” It was developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1987. She stated that she accidentally discovered it while she was walking in a park and found herself feeling less distressed as she moved her eyes back and forth. This discovery led to an innovative approach to integrating the right and left brain to effectively treat and eliminate symptoms associated with PTSD.

According to Sara Staggs, author of PsychCentral’s 5 Things to Know About EMDR, “memories are linked together in networks” and people with distressing pasts can have “trauma stored in their bodies.” Staggs also writes that “trauma memories usually involve a false belief,” which “wasn’t processed properly.” To correct false beliefs, processing the memory is important. EMDR goes beyond “desensitizing” the experience; it reprocesses the experience, so that memories are instilled with a new meaning.

EMDR has been recommended by reputable organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This approach may be exactly what you have been looking for.

The Phases of EMDR

EMDR is anchored to an eight-phase treatment protocol.

Phases 1 to 3 can be collectively described as the “unraveling of the trauma.” The distressing life event is addressed and your readiness for EMDR can be explored, so as to create new, healthier associations with the images associated with your experiences.

Phase 1: History-taking. Your therapist gathers information to find out about your symptoms and significant life events. This can help you to identify triggers and begin to set treatment goals.
Phase 2: Preparation. Your therapist will begin to prepare you for processing your experience or memory. This will likely involve skills training and learning of distress reduction techniques that you can use in and between sessions.
Phase 3: Assessment. You will rate your distress using a scale of 1 to 10 so that you have a baseline throughout treatment. This will help you to see the improvements that you are making. You will also begin to identify what you would like to change and thoughts/beliefs you would like to begin to accept in relation to your trauma.

There are three important processes that are used in Phases 4 to 6 to identify and process a target memory. According to the EMDR Institute, during the process, clients identify: “(1) the vivid visual image related to the memory; (2) a negative belief about self; and (3) related emotions and body sensations.” Focusing on one image, thought, or sensation at a time, and using eye movements or bilateral stimulation (taps or tones), the target memory is processed.

Phase 4 – 7: Processing. During these phases you will utilize bilateral stimulation to decrease distress and work toward acceptance of healthier thoughts and beliefs. This is where the real work happens.
Phase 8: Reevaluation. In this phase you will assess progress throughout treatment. New targets can be identified and further work can be done if needed.

Resolving Trauma with EMDR

Your past does not dictate your future. Experiencing trauma does not have to keep you from living the life you deserve and accomplishing your goals. If trauma has been a constant companion, take matters into your hands: call Carolina Counseling Services – Pittsboro, NC. CCS has contracted independent therapists experienced in EMDR who can help you move past your past.

EMDR is widely considered to be an effective approach in treating trauma-related symptoms. It “rewires your memory network” so that it no longer holds you back. EMDR has helped many people with PTSD, you could be one of them. Call CCS to schedule your first appointment.