What is EMDR?

Written By Lasting Peace Counseling

Soooooo what is EMDR and do I need it?

EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is a form of therapy that is effective for trauma and a variety of other mental health concerns often a result of a trauma (anxiety, depression, panic disorders, addiction etc.)

Typically, when an event occurs, the brain processes it, stores in the memory bank and moves on. But when a traumatic event happens, if we don’t have the proper tools, healthy caregivers or support, trauma gets stuck. This can make it very difficult for material to be stored as a memory. It is often why people who are diagnosed with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) report it feels like the traumatic thing is happening again, as if they are in the moment here and now even though it happened in the past. It is literally stuck.

EMDR moves trauma from being stuck (in the fight/flight/freeze mode) to processed and stored.

How?

While EM in EMDR stands for eye movement, the founder of this treatment said if she could rename it all over again, she would call it “reprocessing therapy”. The reason for this is because anything that uses both sides of the body (called bilateral stimulation) such as alternating tapping on the legs or arms, walking, doing art or alternating tones in headphones causes the brain to process information. Quite literally moving unstuck trauma and memories to processed and stored. This can be done by focusing on the traumatic event paired with either eye movements back and forth or up and down as well as any other form of bilateral stimulation. It is a mental, physical and spiritual experience for many clients.

Through this treatment, we are also looking for any negative thinking patterns you have developed about yourself as a result of the trauma. A very common thought is “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not safe”. We then look for positive thinking you have also developed about yourself through your life to replace those negative cognitions. This is when we weave in Gods truth about who He says you are. While processing with EMDR, you are literally making new neuropathways (often referred to as rewiring) in the brain.

The results? More awareness of your thinking, your body’s sensations and less impulsive, reactionary behaviors. Most importantly, a sense of peace knowing that yes, you experienced hardship, but it is in the past and it is no longer in control of you.