EMDR (Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Are you interested in healing your mind naturally? We offer a wonderful, and amazing therapy called Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing. Otherwise known as EMDR.
What is EMDR?
EMDR or Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing is a natural process in which the mind can heal itself. Often similarily to how the body has some capacity at times to heal itself too. This process is special using a coping strategy that occurs during sleep naturally, particularly during rapid eye movement (REM Sleep). Francine Shapiro developed EMDR in 1987 using this holistic process to heal and successfully treat clients that suffer with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Since then, EMDR has been widely and effectively utilized by counsellors, and mental health providers treating a range of issues.
What Happens with Trauma?
Normally our minds and bodies regularly process new information, and experiences on it’s own naturally without your awareness. However, when something goes sideways and you become traumatized in some cases by a painful even whether directly or indirectly (ie. motor vehicle accident, divorce, death of a loved one, loss;etc) or by a reoccuring trauma which causes pain and distress. Our ability to cope with these types of traumas, and/or stressors can become too much at times leaving us vulnerable to disturbing experiences which can overwhelm our nervous system. It can cause us to be in fight, flight or freeze state which overloads us and may cause our brain to have a difficult time processing information, leaving some things unprocessed so we may struggle to cope.These unprocessed memories, images, sensations, feelings, and thoughts are stored in the limbic system of your brain will go offline slightly keeping the raw information and you in an emotionally dysregulated state. Our limbic system unfortunately holds onto these traumatic memories in a separate memory bank that is associated with our emotions and our physical senses. All become disconnected from our brain’s neocortex where we use language to store memories.
The limbic system’s traumatic memories will frequently be triggered repeatedly when you re-experience similar events to your trauma. Even though these memories may be long gone but our bodies remember (like muscle memory)the painful feelings that it experienced no matter what it was whether it was panic, anger, depression, loneliness;etc that become triggered over and over again in the present. Your ability to live in the present and learn from new experiences can therefore become inhibited. EMDR helps create the connections between your brain’s memory networks, enabling your brain to process the traumatic memory in a very natural way.
What is an EMDR session like?
EMDR utilises the natural healing ability of your body. After a thorough assessment, you
will be asked specific questions about a particular disturbing memory. Eye movements,
similar to those during REM sleep, will be recreated simply by asking you to watch the
therapist’s finger moving backwards and forwards across your visual field. Sometimes, a
bar of moving lights or headphones is used instead. The eye movements will last for a
short while and then stop. You will then be asked to report back on the experiences you
have had during each of these sets of eye movements. Experiences during a session may
include changes in thoughts, images and feelings.
With repeated sets of eye movements, the memory tends to change in such a way that it
loses its painful intensity and simply becomes a neutral memory of an event in the past.
Other associated memories may also heal at the same time. This linking of related
memories can lead to a dramatic and rapid improvement in many aspects of your life.
What can EMDR be used for?
In addition to its use for the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, EMDR has been
successfully used to treat:
- anxiety and panic attacks
– - depression
– - stress
– - phobias
– - sleep problems
– - complicated grief
– - addictions
– - pain relief, phantom limb pain
- self-esteem and performance anxiety
Can anyone benefit from EMDR?
EMDR can accelerate therapy by resolving the impact of your past traumas and allowing
you to live more fully in the present. It is not, however, appropriate for everyone. The
process is rapid, and any disturbing experiences, if they occur at all, last for a
comparatively short period of time. Nevertheless, you need to be aware of, and willing to
experience, the strong feelings and disturbing thoughts, which sometimes occur during
sessions.
How long does treatment take?
EMDR can be brief-focused treatment or part of a longer psychotherapy programme.
EMDR sessions can be for 60 to 90 minutes.
Will, I will remain in control and empowered?
During EMDR treatment, you will remain in control, fully alert and wide awake. This is NOT
a form of hypnosis and you can stop the process at any time. Throughout the session, the
therapist will support and facilitate your own self-healing and intervene as little as possible.
Reprocessing is usually experienced as something that happens spontaneously, and new
connections and insights are felt to arise quite naturally from within. As a result, most
people experience EMDR as being a natural and very empowering therapy.
What evidence is there that EMDR is a successful treatment?
EMDR is an innovative clinical treatment which has successfully helped over a million
individuals. The validity and reliability of EMDR has been established by rigorous research.
There are now nineteen controlled studies into EMDR making it the most thoroughly
researched method used in the treatment of trauma, (Details on www.emdr-europe.org
and www.emdr.org) and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical
Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for PTSD.
Find out more about EMDR.
Have you been in a car accident and had emotional trauma and feel like you suffered a psychological injury check out this article on Psychological Injury. Or our one of our other articles on trauma.
If you or someone you love is looking for something more natural and a holistic way to heal your pain. Try EMDR today. Contact our office at admin@ovcs.ca.
