Welcome to your intro guide to EMDR! My name is Hannah Klein and I am an EMDR trained therapist at B’Well Counseling. My guess is that you are here because you are either interested in EMDR therapy, or just a curious cat. Either way: knowledge can be so empowering! So here we go...
What is it?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a therapeutic treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. EMDR therapy aims to help you process distressing memories and change how you react to them.
What’s the deal with the eye movement part?
Your body has rapid eye movement during your REM sleep cycle. You’ve probably seen it- your eyes kind of flutter underneath your eyelids when you're in a deep sleep. EMDR therapy aims to get your brain to simulate this REM physical manifestation by bringing in some outside help into our session: auditory beeps, lights, or even just physical tapping on legs or shoulders. This choice all depends on the individual’s needs and responsiveness. These stimuli all go from left to right pretty quickly. This is what we call “bilateral stimulation” (or if you have sessions with me, you’ll hear me call it BLS). We go back and forth between your right and left side to get your brain’s engine running as it does in REM cycle.
Ok. Science. Done. Now, for the visualizations!
Picture this…
When you go to sleep every night, the little workers in your brain begin to file away every moment and detail of your day into filing cabinets. Once those details and interactions have been filed, they turn into neutral memories that you can recall and say “oh yeah, I remember that” and then move on. Easy, right? Well, what happens when you have an interaction that slams on your breaks? An interaction where the workers in your brain look at a file and say, “WHAT IS THIS?!”
They have a completely appropriate reaction to this file and run around with their hair on fire. Because it’s traumatic and disrupting information they realize they have to figure out how to file without having the resources.
And then you wake up, with that file still on the floor of your brain, far from the filing cabinet.
This is all happening when you are in your REM cycle of sleep.
EMDR takes the bilateral eye movements that happen in REM sleep and targets them to almost “trick” your body into its focused processing state. Once we can tap into the physical REM cycle with those eye movements and focus them with either beeps, taps, or lights, the reprocessing that memory can start.
Who uses this?
EMDR works in multitudes. Although it’s associated with relieving symptoms from PTSD such as nightmares, flashbacks, and acute triggers, EMDR can help alleviate more low-grade trauma-associated responses. These can include but are not limited to avoidance behaviors, sleep disturbances, mood dysregulation, and a feeling of disconnect in relationships. Think about it-- if you address and heal latent trauma that has lived in your body in a low-grade status, your body will target and heal the corresponding symptoms that have aligned themselves with that trauma on a subconscious level.
What can I expect?
EMDR works in phases. So before we get to all the beeping, tapping, and BLS, we assess the scene. You can expect your first phase of EMDR sessions to look a LOT like what you picture typical talk therapy sessions to look like, but we establish context and safety. Trauma work can be very triggering so we’ll come up with a “stop sign” if/when that threshold is reached during any sessions. This first part can take as long as the individual needs-- a few weeks or even a few months.
Then, we go into each session with the focus on specific trauma targets and BLS. There is very little talking during these sessions, which can feel a little clunky and awkward at first in a therapy context, but we keep it moving so you get used to it.
How long does it take?
EMDR sessions can range from one hour sessions to more intensive periods (a few hours, and some opt for doing those a few days in a row). This all depends on the needs of the individual. Any EMDR therapist will encourage you to take the rest you need between sessions because intense trauma work can be so exhaustive, so keep this in mind when scheduling a session.
What if nothing happens?
What a human and valid question! And if this happens-- good news! You will definitely not be the first one that experiences a “stuckness” in EMDR. We will work with that feeling and incorporate it into our work to take a look at what lives underneath it because chances are, something does. Our brains are so beyond brilliant that sometimes they create stuckness in our lives as a means of protection. Sometimes this protection, although well-intentioned, is misguided and we can soothe and challenge that stuckness to find a path forward toward more growth and healing. If you have an aware sense of fear of getting stuck, this is a fantastic point to bring to your therapist.
All in all, EMDR harnesses the power of your body’s natural inclination to heal itself. We are designed so that our neurons and cells try their best to lead us in the direction of healing and adaptation, so if EMDR can help us push past any stuck points or brakes that keep us halted in a state of confused/maladaptive healing, we can get our train back on the tracks of regulated and sustainable growth!
If you are interested in starting EMDR therapy or if you have more questions about it, you are welcome (encouraged, even!) to reach out to myself or Alex Persons at B’Well.
If you are interested in learning more about EMDR therapy, you can schedule a consultation with Hannah, Bola, or Alex. Learn more about B'well's philosophy and services on our website.
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