Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based approach that helps people process traumatic experiences. It was developed in the late 1980s and is considered a gold-standard treatment for helping people resolve their symptoms of PTSD and other mental health issues.
HOW DOES EMDR DO THIS?
EMDR processes trauma using bilateral stimulation—that is, by using back and forth eye movements or tapping on either side of the body or using tones alternating in each ear. This technique is applied while a person recalls a traumatic experience and the therapist guides their attention towards various features of that memory. How exactly bilateral stimulation helps the brain and body process trauma is still somewhat of a mystery, but the going theory is that stimulating the body in this way also stimulates the brain to “unlock” the traumatic memory and make it available for processing and memory reconsolidation. Even though we may not perfectly understand why EMDR is effective, we do know that it is effective, as demonstrated in many randomized controlled trials.
WHAT DOES EMDR LOOK LIKE IN SESSION?
EMDR is an eight-stage process that unfolds over multiple sessions and can be adjusted to whatever pace feels right for you. For starters, we’ll talk about your goals, I’ll answer any questions you have about EMDR, and we’ll talk through any concerns you might have about it. We’ll discuss your personal and trauma history in order to gather a list of traumatic experiences that you’d like to process. Next, we’ll look at learning or practicing resourcing and grounding skills so you’ll feel ready to revisit those memories without becoming overwhelmed. We’ll figure out collaboratively which memory or trigger to target first by looking at themes or how else your traumatic experiences might be linked together.
When it comes time to process the target memory or trigger, we’ll apply bilateral stimulation (whichever kind works best for you) while you remember the experience. As we do this, I’ll be paying very close attention to what I see and hear you describing about what comes up inside. I’ll prompt you to place your attention on meaningful or standout portions of your experience while we keep applying bilateral stimulation. Once the target memory has been processed (which we’ll know when you’re able to think about it without any emotional disturbance or distress), we’ll install the new positive beliefs about yourself that emerged during processing. At the end, we’ll do a body scan to check for any leftover or lingering sensations, and we’ll take time to close things down so you can leave the session feeling calm and grounded. The next time we meet, we’ll check in about what you noticed since processing and see if anything came up that could use some attention.
It can’t be denied that EMDR is a weird process! It also can’t be denied that it works and that its effects are durable. My goal is to guide you along and help your brain go through the process of healing itself and resolving the memories and experiences that keep intruding on your life and relationships.
THE FLASH TECHNIQUE
The Flash Technique is a newer EMDR method that reduces the overwhelming distress of a trauma memory so that it can be processed using the standard EMDR protocol. It’s generally used when a trauma memory is so disturbing or upsetting that the client is unable to recall it without becoming dysregulated or dissociated.
The Flash Technique uses a positive memory or experience in the foreground to create mental distance from a traumatic memory that has been only briefly referred to at the start. The therapist uses bilateral stimulation while the client describes the positive memory. At intervals, the therapist prompts the client to blink and to lightly touch on the traumatic memory but to immediately return to the positive memory. Once the distress associated with the traumatic memory is low enough, the client can move into the standard EMDR protocol to finish processing the memory. There are a few different theories about why this works, mostly having to do with memory reconsolidation or how certain areas of the brain respond to such brief exposures, but research is ongoing to understand more.