BLOG 526 EMDR THERAPY
Eye
movement desensitization processing (EMDR) has become a widely used treatment
for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The World Health Organization
upholds EMDR as an effective, evidence-based treatment. Even celebrities like
Sanda Bullock have advocated for the help EMDR has benefited to their lives.
This form of therapy addresses unresolved memories that manifest trauma
surfacing such as depression, anxiety, and/or PTSD. Patients in need of EMDR
seem to revisit thoughts of trauma that bring upon these unwanted feelings. The
memories feel “stuck” and unprocessed.
A
therapist practicing EMDR will guide the patient through what is called
bilateral brain activity. Side to side movement of the eyes is what stimulates
this. The goal is to change the memory that is stuck/stored so that
symptoms/emotions/feelings related to the memory will be eliminated. There are
8 phases designed to reach resolution with memory.
8 phases:
(1)
Obtaining patient’s history to plan treatment
(2)
Prepare and explain the treatment to the patient
(3)
Activate the patient’s memory for reprocessing
(4)
Focus on desensitizing memory
(5)
Use bilateral stimulation to reach the new
desired way of thinking
(6)
Identify and work towards processing recurring physical
disturbances related to the memory
(7)
Bring each treatment session to an ordered close
(8)
Reassess the patient and their relationship to
the memories to ensure progress and meeting goals.
The
therapist wants the patient to not feel as though they are in danger anymore
and to feel that the trauma is over. The patient can now refer to the experience
as something they survived. EMDR can be used to treat many forms of trauma
related incidents to include abuse physically or mentally, accidents, bullying,
neglect, loss, grief, combat experiences, or natural disasters. Trauma can be
an isolated memory or the accumulation of different memories. Not everyone has
the same symptoms of trauma such as nightmares or extremely intrusive thoughts
and some patients have gone on with these symptoms for decades. Bilateral
stimulation over time with repetition can help subside any of these feelings
for many patients. Therapy can be difficult and hard to endure, but the result
is feeling better quality of life to live each day at a time with a positive
outlook and positivity.