You may not have heard of EMDR and you wouldn’t be alone in this sentiment. Along with many other approaches to mental health treatment, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, or EMDR, is one method that has been adopted by mental health professionals.
It originated as an approach to treat PTSD in the 1980’s, but actually has shown effectiveness with other mental health diagnoses or disorders. It takes concepts and elements from the natural eye movement during REM sleep as its foundation.
If you’re new to the idea of EMDR, here is more information for understanding the approach and its process.
How EMDR Works
The goal of EMDR is to reprocess your negative memories and heal from the distressing experience it invokes. The process incorporates specific eye movements while processing through a chosen traumatic memory. Unlike other methods, it doesn’t revolve around talk therapy, but rather changing emotions and thoughts associated with those memories.
There are eight phases from start to finish, occurring over multiple sessions. Some phases may be combined, while others will require the entire session to complete.
The Phases
Phase One
The initial phase begins with gathering information about you and your past experiences. During this time, the therapist will not only see if you are a candidate for EMDR, but also what memories, experiences, or traumas you can focus on in your sessions. If you’re deemed appropriate for this method, your goals will be established.
Phase Two
This is the preparation phase for the upcoming sessions. You will be educated on the process and what to expect. They will work to build a rapport and create a comfortable environment for you to feel safe during the process. Any tools necessary for maximizing success will be discussed.
Phase Three
Your therapist will work with you to select the specific memory you would like to target during your sessions. Any negative beliefs associated with this memory should be expressed. You’re beginning to release the negative and creating a positive replacement. You will be asked to rate your feelings and emotions using certain scales provided by the therapist. This score creates the baseline for future sessions.
Phase Four
This starts the desensitization process. You will be asked to recall your chosen memory while being cued to complete specific eye movements. They may also incorporate bilateral stimulation with sounds or taps in attempt to reduce your reported ratings as provided in the previous phase.
Phase Five
During this phase, your therapist will focus on the installation of the positive belief as you process your memory. This may take some time to complete, but the end goal is to improve emotional response and have confidence in the positive belief.
Phase Six
As a way to ensure the installation has met its goal, you’ll be guided in completing a body scan. You’ll be asked about any continued tension or negative sensations that may still be lingering. If any are present, those will be targeted for additional reprocessing. Success isn’t achieved until you are able to bring up the memory without feeling tension or negativity.
Phase Seven
During this phase, you will be educated about what to expect between your sessions. You’ll be provided with any information exercises you will need to obtain stability mentally. If you’re still holding any tension, you’ll be guided to a calm and safe space to leave.
Phase Eight
This phase will occur in each subsequent session. It is a way to evaluate the effects of your treatment and any additional memories that need to be reprocessed.
While no approach is the same for everyone, EMDR generally has benefits of being a faster method than traditional talk therapy. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of EMDR, contact me for more information about EMDR therapy.