23 Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR
We made this blog to help you distinguish fact from fiction and science from personal belief. In it, we will answer the most frequently asked questions about EMDR, its process, usage, and benefits. This extensive database will answer the most important questions about EMDR therapy.
FAQs About EMDR Therapy Itself
First, let’s start with some of the most frequently asked questions about EMDR therapy itself.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy is a form of psychotherapy that utilizes some form of bilateral stimulation (most often eye movement) to physically engage the brain while it is processing negative emotions from traumatic or adverse experiences.
When the brain is engaged in following the bilateral stimulation, it is less focused on the emotions and the memories it evokes simultaneously. People can adjust their inner negative beliefs and mindsets that result from trauma without experiencing the strong emotions that are present from that experience.
Can EMDR Be Considered A Form of Psychotherapy?
Yes, EMDR is a form of psychotherapy initially developed by Francine Shapiro. As she walked, she noticed her negative feelings lowered if she made fast side-to-side eye movements. This inspired her to dive into the reasons behind this fact, so she started exploring and developing what we now know as EMDR.
Currently, there are more than 150,000 EMDR therapists in the world, including ours at EMDR Therapy Nashville, and millions of people have used this form of psychotherapy to overcome their mental health issues.
Is EMDR A Real Helping Therapy or Another Form of Placebo?
EMDR is not a placebo. The theory that explains why and how EMDR works is related to our REM sleep cycles. During these sleep phases, our eyes move rapidly from side to side, allowing the brain to process the day's experiences and information.
EMDR replicates the effects of REM sleep while the individual remains awake and fully conscious of their surroundings. With eye movement, the brain processes negative experiences and makes mindset changes, while the emotions associated with the experience don’t have their usual intensity.
How Many EMDR Sessions Will It Take To Get Better?
The number of EMDR sessions needed for improvement is highly individual and depends on the nature of the problem, the individual's mindset, and the EMDR process under those circumstances.
While some people feel that they don’t need therapy after as few as five sessions, others feel the need to work on their symptoms continuously for months. Clients generally need six to twelve sessions to resolve their symptoms and incorporate mindset and belief changes.
At the beginning of the EMDR process, the therapist will guide you through an assessment. This helps you and the therapist jointly develop an individualized plan and a timeframe, which you can then continuously adjust and fine-tune based on the needs.
Will EMDR Or Eye Movements Cause Seizures?
First, we’re not medical doctors so please consult your doctor. Second, EMDR generally doesn’t lead to seizures, especially not in people who don’t already have epilepsy. Of the reported cases most involve using light as a stimulus for processing - at EMDR Therapy Nashville we can use tactile or auditory stimulation instead.
Can My Current Therapist Do EMDR?
Only a certified psychotherapist who has undergone EMDR training can perform EMDR therapy. If your therapist has done so and is a certified EMDR therapist, aside from training in another form of talk therapy, they can do EMDR with you.
If you believe that EMDR can help you with some of your issues, it’s best to communicate this with your therapist first, and you can jointly decide on the best course of action.
Can I Keep My Current Therapist and Still Do EMDR?
Yes, you can keep your therapist and still do EMDR with another EMDR-certified therapist. People who already undergo some form of psychotherapy often feel the need to try EMDR for particular parts of their healing process. So, they interchangeably visit both their current and their EMDR therapist, using the sessions to explore and work on different parts of their experiences, using the particular methods and tools that each modality offers.
FAQs About EMDR Usage
Next, let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions about what EMDR can be used for and what kind of mental health problems you can solve with its help.
Who Is Suitable for EMDR?
Anyone who has any negative experiences that they have not recovered from can utilize EMDR therapy to improve their mental health. Examples include feeling stuck or in a never-ending cycle, anxious or constantly stressed, sad or depressed, or experiencing fatigue, sleeping difficulties, disturbance in their appetite, and the like.
EMDR therapy is also suitable for people who experience more severe symptoms like panic or anxiety attacks, nightmares, symptoms of OCD (obsessions or compulsions), flashbacks or emotional burnout, as well as suicidal tendencies or depressive episodes.
EMDR can help clients determine the causes of their discomfort, process certain “stuck” negative experiences and emotions, utilize and rely on their inner and outer support systems, and make mindset and belief system changes that will improve their lives.
Can EMDR Therapy Be Used For A Lot of Different Things?
EMDR therapy can be used for almost all disorders if they are connected to any form of traumatic experience. This includes post-traumatic disorder, anxiety disorders, depression disorders, dissociative disorders, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, personality disorders, trauma disorders, and gender dysphoria.
Is EMDR Only For PTSD?
No, EMDR is not only for PTSD. Even though it initially showed great success for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, practitioners and experts soon realized that EMDR helps with all kinds of mental health problems caused by traumatic experiences.
Check the answer above to see the disorders that EMDR can help with. If you want to familiarize yourself better with this topic, read our blog post, where we explain all the mental difficulties that EMDR can help with.
Can EMDR Be Used to Treat Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)?
Yes, EMDR can treat and elevate symptoms of dissociative identity disorders (previously known as multiple personality disorder) and depersonalization or derealization symptoms.
Can EMDR Help With Dissociation?
Dissociation is a mental health challenge in which the person feels disconnected from reality and acts as a self-preservation mechanism stemming from past traumatic experiences. EMDR is one of the psychotherapies that is suitable for addressing these symptoms.
Due to the significance of this symptom and its implications, it's crucial for the EMDR therapist to be experienced, flexible, and adaptable in their approach.
Is EMDR Therapy Effective for Schizophrenia?
Yes, EMDR therapy is effective in helping people with schizophrenia work through trauma, including trauma associated with schizophrenia itself. It’s important to note that an EMDR therapist should be an expert and specialist in this area to provide the best care.
Who Is EMDR Not Suitable For?
Pregnant women, people with eye problems, and people with neurological conditions should consult with their medical provider and the EMDR therapist they want to work with.
Jointly, they can discuss any possible counter-indications and, where suitable, devise solutions. For example, they might utilize bilateral stimulation that is different from the usual eye movement to avoid any potential risks.
FAQs about the EMDR Process
It's time to address some common questions regarding EMDR therapy, including its procedure and duration.
How Does EMDR Work?
EMDR therapy is a process that has eight stages that interchange and repeat. These stages include gathering information about the client and their background, preparing a treatment plan, assessing, desensitizing, and reprocessing, installing more constructive beliefs and outlooks, body scans for lingering symptoms, closure, and reevaluation. Our EMDR Phases Infographic can give you a more detailed explanation of each of these parts.
One of the most important stages of EMDR is the desensitizing and reprocessing stage, in which the EMDR therapist engages the client in bilateral stimulation (most often eye movement or sounds). Simultaneously, the client recalls parts of their distressing memories and works on their thoughts, emotions, and beliefs connected to that experience.
Is EMDR Therapy A One-Session Cure?
No, EMDR therapy is not a one-session cure. The length of the EMDR therapy process depends on the particular person and their background. Trauma and traumatic experiences are usually complex and require continued and structured dedication.
Nonetheless, people who undergo EMDR therapy can (and most likely will) feel better and experience improvement after the first session. There are also protocols for recent trauma that can help in one session - Recent Trauma Protocol.
How Long Does Each EMDR Session Last?
EMDR sessions usually last 50 to 90 minutes, depending on the therapist's and client's mutual agreement.
How Long Is The Overall Course of EMDR?
The length of an EMDR treatment is highly individual and varies from person to person. Some types of experiences require several sessions, while others might take up to 12 sessions to completely resolve or substantially decrease in intensity.
Once your EMDR therapist learns more about your background, they can give you an educated estimate, which you can jointly adjust as you proceed.
Does EMDR Therapy Erase Memories?
No, EMDR psychotherapy does not erase memories. Instead, it essentially works on lowering emotional intensity, changing unconstructive thoughts, and reframing unconstructive beliefs connected to a particular memory while keeping the memory intact. Clients usually experience the memory fading as we work through it.
Is EMDR The Same As Hypnosis?
No, EMDR therapy is not the same as hypnosis. People mistakenly associate EMDR psychotherapy with hypnosis because they both may use eye stimulation, although neither of them necessarily has to.
Both EMDR and hypnosis aim to help people improve their mental health and resolve some lingering distress, but they utilize entirely different methods to achieve that. Furthermore, EMDR focuses on working through distressing and traumatic experiences, while hypnosis has broader usages and applications. What may be the most evident difference is the fact that hypnosis includes an altered (suggestible) state of mind, while EMDR doesn’t.
FAQs About EMDR Benefits
Last but not least, let’s answer the most often-asked questions about the benefits of EMDR.
Are EMDR Benefits Only Short-Term?
No, EMDR benefits are long-term, especially in clients who show dedication and consistently incorporate changes during the EMDR therapy process. To learn more about the short-term and long-term benefits of EMDR therapy, read the answer to the next question.
How Long Do The Effects of EMDR Therapy Last?
EMDR therapy has both short-term and long-term effects. Short-term effects happen soon after an EMDR therapy session. They may include elevated mood, calmness, muscle relaxation, or a sense of control.
Long-term effects include lowered distressing reactions to traumatic memories, changes in emotional regulation, broadened awareness, improvement in mindset and belief systems, improved social interactions, an increased sense of control, and increased overall life satisfaction.
What Are The Side Effects of EMDR Therapy?
Adverse short-term effects may include headaches, somatic discomfort, or nausea, usually as a result of recalling the traumatic experience in the early stages of the EMDR process. Negative effects subdue soon after the intense session; even if they repeat through the therapy process, they have lower intensity each subsequent time.
Thank you for reading through some of our FAQ. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment. Thanks!