When I first started to use EMDR with my clients, I felt like I had to win them over and convince them that EMDR really works. I felt all this pressure to get them to believe in this “strange” treatment method. After all, I knew, if a client does not have buy-in into their treatment, progress will be nonexistent and I didn’t want that on my shoulders. Before moving forward, I should probably explain what EMDR is and why it is used. A quick sidebar, the goal of this article is simple… No matter what therapist you choose, or therapeutic intervention you use to help you heal from past pain and hurt, there is always hope for a healthier and happier life. Healing and finding hope does not happen in isolation. As therapists, we are here to help.

What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It was created in the late 1980s by Francine Schapiro. It was initially created for the treatment of trauma. However, some 30 years later and thousands of dollars spent on EMDR research, we now know it can be used for so much more than just trauma. Multiple studies from 1993 -2015 have shown EMDR’s effectiveness for the following disorders: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, grief & mourning, chronic pain, panic disorder, attachment disorders, sexual dysfunctions, self-esteem, conduct problem, and phobias.

How does EMDR work?

In an EMDR session, the therapist introduces something called Bilateral Stimuli (BLS) for about 30-60 sections at a time as the client is asked to think of a specific thought or memory. At the end of the 30-60 seconds the therapist asks you what you noticed, whether it be a thought, feeling, or sensation. You then repeat BLS with the new thought, feeling, or sensation that came up. It’s like hiking, you get on a path and follow it and see where it takes you. Bilateral Stimuli (BLS) sounds scary, but it really isn’t. There is no electricity that is used or wires hooked up to your brain or anything like that. There are three ways the therapist can introduce BLS for you. One, have you move your eyes from side to side. Two, have you hold buzzers in your hands that vibrate back and forth. Three, using headphones that beep from one ear to the other. There is no one right way of doing EMDR. There is a lot of flexibility for the therapist and client to come up with works best for the client. In my practice, I use a light bar, which allows for more flexibility and personal space for my clients. Some therapists will have you follow their fingers or a pointer stick with your eyes.

Why does it work?

The simple answer is, we don’t know. We believe it has to do with what happens during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. During REM sleep, your brain is more active, you dream, and process your day. Studies suggest that a lack of REM sleep can lead to increased anxiety, depression, and even migraines. For some reason, EMDR has shown that when we recreate REM sleep when we are awake and focusing on difficult emotions or past hurts, our brains are able to reprocess how we feel about the past. Trauma and anxiety causes the brain to be over activated and over time the hippocampus can shrink. This can lead to being easily startled or feeling like you’re on edge all the time. Functional MRIs (fMRI) and PET scans have shown less brain activation and regrowth of the hippocampus volume after EMDR. This leads to a decrease in distressing symptoms.

Over the past several years I have stopped trying to convince my clients at the beginning of EMDR that it really works. I have seen the process work so many times that I stopped counting. I take the pressure off myself and I invite my clients to take ownership of their healing.  I simply ask them, “Are you committed to the process?” I ask them to trust me as I guide them through EMDR. There is hard work before and after EMDR that needs to take place. We live in a broken world where things happen to us outside of our control. I am so thankful we were created in a way that healing is possible. We don’t have to live life stuck in the past or in fear of the future. My questions to you is, “What will be your next step?” If you are curious about EMDR or therapy, give us a call.