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EMDR is based on the Information Processing model of Psychotherapy, which focuses on how sensory information is registered, stored and retrieved in our nervous system. Our nervous system is regularly bombarded with trillions of bits of information that it needs to process. Included in this are what we call small 't' traumas and big 'T' traumas. An example of a small 't' trauma is being laughed at at school or reaching our hand out to a parent and being rejected. An example of a big 'T' trauma can be violence, rape, or reaching our hand out to a parent and being REPEATEDLY rejected. At the time of a traumatic event, strong emotions interfere with our ability to completely process the experience and one moment becomes “frozen in time.” Many times, the image of the trauma is lost from our daily awareness (especially with small 't' traumas) but our nervous system NEVER FORGETS!
These events get stuck in our nervous system in a state-dependent form (with the original sounds, sights, words, and mental maturity). This is why so often we are triggered, say by an argument with a partner, and our emotional reaction is similar to that of our previous child self.
When activated, these memories cause a negative impact on our daily functioning and interfere with the way we see ourselves, our world and how we relate to others. EMDR therapy appears to directly effect the brain, allowing the individual to resume normal functioning while no longer reliving the images, sounds, and feelings associated with the trauma. The memory is still there, but it is less upsetting.
Unlike many forms of talk therapy, an EMDR therapist helps clients by linking what was seen, felt, heard and believed at the time of the trauma with a unique, additional element: a pattern of rapid directional eye movements induced by the therapist waving one or two fingers back and forth in front of the client’s eyes. Typically this is done at a distance of 12” or more. There are other forms of dual processing, such as tactile sensations or audio processing. The client is gently guided to just notice what comes up without trying to control the content while processing the information until it is less and less disturbing. Overtime the disturbing memory and associated beliefs, feelings, sensations become “digested” or worked through until it is associated with a positive belief about the self. For example, “I am a failure” becomes “I can succeed.”EMDR does not require the client to go into detail about the distressing events of the past. Unlike many “talk” therapies, there is no need to analyze the trauma for long periods of time. EMDR is a multi-faceted approach.The fact that it simultaneously works on mind, body, and emotions may account for its success in taking mere intellectual understanding of the origins of a problem (e.g. “I know I have guilt over killing in the war”) to a resolution where post-traumatic symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and anger outbursts clear up.
Research shows that EMDR is rapid, safe and effective. EMDR does not involve the use of drugs or hypnosis. It is a simple, non-invasive patient-therapist collaboration in which healing can happen effectively.The number of sessions needed is proportional to the amount of the difficulties experienced, but clients report it is more effective and efficient than the “talk therapy” they had previously experienced.
This powerful short-term therapy is highly effective for a wide range of disorders including chronic pain, phobias, depression, panic attacks, eating disorders and poor self-image, stress, worry, stage fright, performance anxiety, recovery from sexual abuse and traumatic incidents.Many patients who have made slow progress in the past, or who have not benefited from more traditional therapies say that with EMDR they have finally found something that works for them!
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