What is EMDR?
In therapy spaces, we often hear or read acronyms that we don’t know or haven’t heard of before. There can be too many to keep track of, such as IFS, EMDR, CBT, and DBT just to name a few. In this post we’ll break down EMDR and learn what it means, what it’s used for, and how it can benefit you as a client.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Not all clinicians use eye movements, any form of bilateral stimulation, meaning a back and forth movement, can work instead, such as tapping or auditory stimulation. EMDR is a trauma reprocessing technique that can help an intense situation become less intense, or in other words desensitized.
EMDR may be useful if you have had “big T” Trauma where you felt you were in danger or your life was threatened, even if you were secondary to the situation, such as a first responder or a child watching parents physically fight. There is also a benefit to using this technique for “small t” trauma where you weren’t in danger, but this event may still impact your life and how you engage with others. There’s often a misunderstanding that unless you have PTSD, you don’t need EMDR, however I find that it can be helpful to alleviate a myriad of challenges.
How EMDR works in a session is by first finding a memory that involves distress and a continued impact on your daily life. A very direct example of this could be a car accident that leaves you having panic attacks anytime you get behind the wheel, but the connection could be much subtler and is something you and your therapist work on together. After you understand the visual, emotional, cognitive, and somatic impact of this memory, you will then focus on that memory while engaging with bilateral stimulation (eye movement back and forth, tapping your shoulders, etc). During this, your therapist will check in very frequently to see your progress and check on your emotional safety. This is the reprocessing part of EMDR, which can feel like a roller coaster of emotions and other sensations. The ultimate goal is to bring the distress level down so that this is no longer a trigger in your daily life.
The benefit of EMDR can be decreased depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, anger, and many other emotions, reactions, and experiences. The challenges of EMDR can be the distress of going back to emotionally overwhelming situations in your mind, but the hope is that this is temporary, contained, and tolerable. Sometimes being able to go back and alleviate the distress once and for all can allow you to feel free of it sneaking up on you in your daily life.
If you feel EMDR might be a good resource for you, you’re welcome to speak to your therapist about this technique, ask them for an EMDR referral, or call our counseling center to be seen by an EMDR trained therapist. EMDR can sometimes be done by a trained therapist while the client also continues to see their original therapist as well, which can be a benefit to some clients who want a new resource but not to lose their established therapeutic relationship.