What Is EMDR Therapy For? - Difficulties That EMDR Can Help With
What can EMDR help with? What is it used for? Does it work? Who is EMDR suitable for? Who can benefit from EMDR? In this blog post, I will answer all of these questions. Let’s take it from the start.
What is EMDR therapy?
EMDR is a mental health treatment technique that uses eye movement to reprocess memories. The acronym stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and the method was first constructed in 1989 by psychologist Francine Shapiro.
The method involves moving the eyes, or more generally activating the brain hemispheres back and forth, in a specific way while recalling traumatic memories. When this happens, the brain actively engages in processing memory more efficiently. The goal of the process is to help clients heal from trauma or distressing life events by allowing the brain to process those memories more easily.
Although relatively new, EMDR therapy is an effective technique that is known to bring results even faster than some other types of methods, especially concerning helping PTSD and trauma-related mental health difficulties.
Does EMDR therapy work? (Yes)
Francine Shapiro came up with the idea of EMD (as it was initially called) while walking in the woods. She noticed that challenging emotions lowered when she turned her eyes from side to side. This inspired her to explore why exactly this happens, so she started working around a theory. WebMD suggests that, up until now, the EMDR International Association reports that so far, more than 110,000 therapists have helped more than 7 million people to reduce or completely overcome their symptoms of PTSD and other trauma-induced mental complications. Furthermore, as WebMD reports, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs accepts and names EMDR as an incredibly effective treatment for PTSD.
Is EMDR therapy controversial?
There is some controversy around EMDR and why it works. The creator of this type of therapy, Dr. Francine Shapiro, first noticed that challenging emotions lower when the person does side-to-side eye movement. She then went ahead and started exploring and coming up with a scientific theory of how the brain stores memories. Some professionals don’t like that; in the case of EMDR, the practice came before the theory.
Nonetheless, that controversy becomes obsolete when we look at the research. Numerous controlled studies and scientific research have shown the effectiveness of EMDR, especially with trauma-related issues.
What are the risks of EMDR therapy?
EMDR has very few and very low risks. Depending on the complexity of the trauma and the intensity of the therapeutic session itself, some people may experience negative thoughts, feelings, or bodily sensations after an intense session.
These negative experiences can last a few hours after a session and usually subside soon. Furthermore, they are more likely to happen at the start of the EMDR process (as the person still hasn’t done a lot of therapy) and subdue more with each new session (and each trauma work).
Who needs EMDR therapy?
People with all kinds of backgrounds and a plethora of mental health conditions can benefit from EMDR sessions. This therapy technique suits people of all ages: teenagers, adolescents, and adults. Some healthcare providers even specialize in EMDR for children, so the treatment is available for them, too. Nonetheless, caution is advised when working with children, as they don’t hold the same mental power, awareness, and coping skills as grown-ups.
The American Psychological Association (APA) suggests EMDR as an effective treatment for:
Single distressing event
Series of accumulated distressing events
Physical abuse
Emotional abuse
Bullying
Accidents, life-altering injuries
Combat experiences
Natural disasters
Loss of a loved one
Prolonged emotional neglect
Witnessing traumatic events
To better understand what EMDR therapy helps with, read the next section. There, you will find much more information about the conditions that EMDR tackles and the principles through which it achieves that.
Who shouldn’t do EMDR therapy?
EMDR is appropriate for most people for most trauma. That said, EMDR may not be appropriate for people with complications that stem from brain injuries, aging related decline, or some neurological disorders. Furthermore, people who only recently have experienced some type of trauma may still not be ready to process it with the help of EMDR, as the experiences are too fresh, and recalling them would only increase the negative feelings and deepen the emotional process instead of lowering it. The same goes for children. Depending on the intensity of the experience, some children may have difficulty understanding that the trauma has passed and may get further traumatized when recalling it.
For the best results, every person needs to talk to an experienced, certified EMDR therapist and jointly decide whether EMDR is the correct type of therapy for their particular circumstances.
What is EMDR therapy used for?
EMDRIA (The EMDR International Association) recommends EMDR therapy for a range of conditions:
PTSD and Trauma disorders
EMDR was initially designed to help mainly with PTSD, and it continues to be one of the most successful psychotherapy methods for dealing with signs and symptoms of PTSD.
In more recent times, EMDR is also used for acute stress disorder, i.e., intense distress that happens shortly after suffering a traumatic experience, witnessing a violent crime, an accident, or surviving a natural disaster.
EMDR is also helpful for adjustment disorder, i.e., intense emotional reactions to stress or trauma (for example, difficulty adjusting after the loss of a loved one and having depression-like symptoms.)
Anxiety Disorders, Panic Disorders, and Phobias
EMDR is used for successfully resolving anxiousness and anxiety disorders like Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) or Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).
It can also be used for Panic Disorder, in which, as opposed to anxiety disorders, there isn’t an obvious trigger, and attacks of panic come suddenly and unexpectedly.
Other similar conditions that EMDR can help with are Phobias, i.e., anxiety and persistent fear of particular objects or situations. Phobias are divided into 3 bigger groups: Social Phobias (now called Social Anxiety Disorder), Agoraphobia (fear of places where one doesn’t feel safe but can’t escape), and Specific phobias (fear of particular things like blood or spiders.)
Depression Disorders
EMDR can also aid depression disorders and depressiveness. It is known to help with Major depressive disorder, Persistent depressive disorders, and depression as a result of an illness.
Dissociative disorders
Dissociative disorders like Dissociative identity disorder (i.e., having two or more personalities that control the behavior at different times), amnesia (loss of memories), or Depersonalization-derealization Disorder (disconnect from the body, the feelings, or the environment) can also be treated with the help of EMDR therapy. It’s important to underline that working with these kinds of conditions can be challenging, and the EMDR therapist must be experienced and knowledgeable to be able to provide the best help and care in the process.
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders like Anorexia, Bulimia, or Binge eating can also be tackled with the help of EMDR therapy. Often, eating disorders are connected to some sort of earlier trauma, and by tackling it, patients can develop a healthier body image and maintain a healthier relationship with food.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive disorders (unwanted thoughts and compulsive behaviors), dysmorphic disorder (self-image difficulties), and Hoarding Disorder (excessive saving of items) can all be worked on with EMDR.
Personality Disorders
Personality disorders like Borderline personality disorder (characterized by difficulty managing emotions and maintaining stable relationships), Avoidant Personality Disorder (avoiding social interactions due to extreme sensitivity to criticism and rejection), and Antisocial personality disorder (practicing unhealthy and manipulative behaviors without remorse or care for others) can also be addressed and managed with the help of EMDR.
Once more, I would like to underline the importance of the experience and the expertise of the EMDR therapist when working with personality disorders.
EMDR therapy is also used for processing and resolving the mental difficulties as a result of physical, emotional, or psychological abuse, no matter if the abuse comes from a romantic partner, family member, school, or work.
EMDR can also help victims of violent crimes, sexual assaults, or bullying, as well as developmental neglect or prolonged exposure to traumatic events.
Sleeping Disorders
Sleep difficulties like Insomnia (inability to fall asleep or sleep through the night) and Parasomnias (involuntary actions during sleep, like walking or talking) can be addressed and worked on with the help of EMDR psychotherapy.
What can EMDR therapy help with?
EMDR can help people who have suffered trauma and have ongoing difficulties due to traumatic experiences and memories. EMDR achieves its aim through a few methods:
Processing and Reprocessing Traumatic Events
Theory suggests that PTSD and some other disorders result from disturbing past experiences that the brain hasn’t processed fully and is not aware that are in the past. When that happens, the brain actively acts and sends body signals as if the threat is ongoing and present at the moment. The unprocessed memories contain all the negative thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and physical sensations that happened during the traumatic experience. Since they are not fully processed, they return with full force, causing PTSD-like symptoms.
EMDR directly addresses those memories and gives the brain a chance to completely process those traumatic events in the safe space of the therapist’s office with the help of eye movement, which has been shown to lower the intensity of all those lingering negative thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and physical sensations. With that, EMDR helps the brain reprocess and store those memories more accurately, eliminating the negative symptoms and imprinting more constructive beliefs in the process.
Lowering the intensity of triggers
Triggers are sights, sounds, smells, or even words or actions that are similar or somehow connected to traumatic events. Since the memories of the trauma are improperly stored in the brain, whenever a trigger appears, the brain is reminded of and feels like it's still threatened or living in the traumatic experience. Triggers can result in intense feelings of fear, anger, anxiety, or panic, even when there isn’t any kind of threat at the moment aside from the trigger itself.
EMDR tackles these triggers and lowers their intensity in a similar way as it does with unprocessed traumatic experiences. During bilateral stimulation (eye movement), the client recalls and processes the triggers, lowering their intensity.
Adopting more constructive beliefs
Working and resolving traumatic experiences doesn’t have much value if the client doesn’t, during the process, incorporate constructive beliefs and learn healthy coping skills.
During EMDR sessions, the client expresses their negative self-beliefs that are associated with the traumatic experience (for example, “I’m unlovable.” or “I can die any minute.”). Together with the therapist, they jointly come up with more constructive beliefs (like “I’m worthy of love” or “I’m safe now.”) and then integrate them.
Furthermore, the EMDR therapist gives and teaches the client constructive coping skills and breathing techniques, underlines and reinforces their social support system, and helps them identify their strength. The goal is to increase the inner strength and self-support of the client, allowing them to move past the traumatic experience and better cope with the memories of what happened.
Conclusion
Numerous studies, controlled trials, and research articles have shown the success of EMDR psychotherapy in working with and resolving negative symptoms of various mental health conditions and disorders.
EMDR can help clients with diverse backgrounds and conditions, from PTSD and anxiety disorders to depression, eating disorders, personality disorders, or unresolved symptoms and difficulties stemming from exposure to traumatic events.
Trauma, if not processed and resolved, can leave long-lasting consequences on the person’s mental health and cause difficulties in numerous life areas. If addressed, the person can move past the trauma, regain confidence and power, and improve their life satisfaction.
If you have experienced trauma in your life, I kindly invite you to work with us and regain your confidence.
Resources
WebMD. (n.d.). EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization & reprocessing). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/emdr-what-is-it
About EMDR therapy. EMDR International Association. (2024, May 21). https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/
