Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a healing, therapeutic modality used to release both past and present trauma. With the use of EMDR, life can actually be light and hope can be restored. People open up to new possibilities, while fear diminishes or is completely released.
EMDR therapy offers people the gift of living without emotional pain. I truly cherish this work and the results it provides, both in my practice as an EMDR therapist and in my own experience with it in treatment. A person can heal on all levels with EMDR; past trauma, present issues, fears, and worries can all be released. I have seen clients overcome old and new wounds and truly improve their life.
It is essential to work with a therapist to determine if you are a candidate for EMDR and if it can benefit you during therapy. Some people receive only EMDR, while others do it in conjunction with regular therapy. Either way works; each person is different and what they need to heal is unique to them.
There are different protocols for EMDR, depending on what the Client wants to release and when the issue or memory first occurred. There is one protocol for past trauma and another for recent traumatic events. Once a patient receives EMDR, it may take between 3 and 6 sessions to fully release the memory. The modality should only be experienced with a trained EMDR therapist so that the Client is fully grounded during treatment, able to process the memory without dissociating or panicking, and in a safe, therapeutically contained space for healing.
If a Client starts to get anxious during EMDR and the work is too uncomfortable for them, I slowly guide them out of the memory and bring them back to the present moment to help them get grounded in reality. Only a trained EMDR therapist will be able to do this safely and comfortably.
EMDR therapy begins with a protocol called resourcing. A person chooses various figures, real or imaginary, and taps the feelings of the positive qualities of these individuals into themselves. This helps people feel calm and grounded so they can begin EMDR work. Resourcing can be practiced outside of therapy once it is learned and can help reduce anxiety, improve sleep, boost self-esteem and increase inner strength, among many other benefits.
Sometimes a client will come in for EMDR to try to overcome wounds from a recent memory. The memory network is like a tree with a lot of branches, and therefore, as the process begins, many other memories may unexpectedly arise.
The true cause of the memory or fear being worked on could link back to anything from an intense recent trauma to an older memory as light as dropping one’s ice cream cone at age seven and not being allowed to have another one. It can also link back to a memory that was blocked out or almost anything from a person’s past.
When the Client is ready, the therapist will work on either the oldest or most painful memory. In releasing this memory, the issues or patterns related to it can also be released so that the Client feels lighter in these areas. Often times, after EMDR therapy, clients’ relationships and quality of life improve significantly.
EMDR helped me to sleep better, release fears from old memories, and improved various areas of my relationship with my partner and children.