EMDR Treatment - Frequently Asked Questions
When compared to other methods of therapy (psychoanalysis,
cognitive, behavioural, etc), EMDR has been rated as far more effective by mental
health professionals. Clients experience emotional healing at an accelerated
rate.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic technique that utilizes a characteristic motion of the eyes in conjunction with therapeutic guidance to bring about emotional healing at an accelerated rate. Although not part of the original EMDR, clinical experiences have repeatedly demonstrated that EMDR also helps accelerate the physical healing process.
How effective is EMDR?
When an upset is experienced, it can become locked in the
nervous system with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, feelings, and body
sensations. This upset or trauma is stored in the brain (and also the body) in
an isolated memory network preventing learning from taking place. Old material
just keeps getting triggered over & over again and you end up feeling
“stuck” emotionally. In another part of your brain, in a separate network, is
most of the information you need to resolve the upset. It’s just prevented from
linking up to the old stuff. Once processing starts with EMDR, the 2 networks
can link up. New information can then come to mind to resolve the old problems.
How does EMDR treatment work?
If someone has experienced an upsetting situation that
they have not recovered from then they may have one or more of the
following symptoms in varying degrees: feeling “stuck”, excess stress/tension,
depression, anxiety, restlessness, sleep trouble, fatigue, appetite
disturbances, and ongoing physical health concerns despite treatment. In the
more severe cases: panic attacks, flashbacks, nightmares, obsessions, paranoia,
compulsions, eating disorders, and suicidal tendencies. On the physical health
front, EMDR is also a wonderful technique to assist with the healing of any
physical health concern.
Who can benefit from EMDR?
EMDR has been used by trained mental health professionals
since 1989. Its originator, Francine Shapiro PhD, discovered that moving her
eyes in certain directions reduced emotional tension. Francine did further
investigation, integrating her clinical experience and created EMDR. This is a helpful technique for people who have an emotional issue that seems hard to recover from and where they may feel “emotionally stuck”.
What happens during an EMDR session?
EMDR is used with the help of a psychologist specially trained to do EMDR. There are 3 main techniques that they can use to activate the EMDR to start working. Either you can use headphones to listen to special music that the psychologist provides, you can do tapping hand movements, or you can follow an object back and forth in front of your eyes. Most people chose the music option.
You don’t need to talk much during an EMDR session, or know much about the thing that is upsetting you. It is useful to talk about it briefly at various intervals during the session but these are only brief comments now and then. Your own subconscious processes will guide your mind to go to the place that will help you so just sit comfortably and allow your brain to go where it wants to go.
You stay awake the whole time and remember everything that happens. People often finish EMDR therapy feeling empowered by the very experiences that once caused them problems. Your emotional wounds have not just closed, they have transformed. For some issues, one session is enough, if the issue is complex or occurred for a long time then more than one session might be needed. As a natural outcome of the EMDR therapeutic process, the clients’ thoughts, feelings and behavior are all indicators of emotional health and resolution—all without speaking in detail.
How can I find a psychologist who does EMDR?
Psychologist do special training to be able to do EMDR sessions. Either they will list this as one of their skills on their website or you can contact them and ask if they are trained in EMDR. At Better Health Psychology, our psychologist Jenny Jones is trained in EMDR and practices this in her client sessions every week.