What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy is a type of treatment that helps with traumatic memories, retraining the brain to respond differently to triggers. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. The way that trauma is stored in the brain is through memories and links between those memories. Those links can be in the form of visual or sensual information (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste); beliefs or thoughts we have about ourselves, the world, or other people; emotions; and body sensations.
When we experience something traumatic or stressful, the way that information is stored in the brain contributes to how our bodies and minds respond to those internal or external cues. This is referred to as Adaptive Information Processing (AIP). When we go through EMDR reprocessing, we are changing how we access and process this information from when our trauma or stress occurred.
How does EMDR work?
When we do EMDR work, we are literally retraining and rewiring our brain to respond differently to the internal and external cues that trigger our trauma and stress. This is done through a process called dual awareness.
Dual awareness is like having one foot in the past with our trauma, and one foot in the present moment, being in a warm and supportive place like our therapist’s office. The reason that dual awareness is important in the EMDR process is that over time, we begin to train our brains to associate the triggers to our trauma with something soothing and calming as opposed to stressful and urgent.
Another important aspect of the dual awareness element of EMDR is bi-lateral stimulation (BLS). BLS is activating the left and right hemispheres of our brain in rapid succession. This is often done through eye movements, but can also be done through self-tapping on our knees or shoulders, through tactile stimulation holding buzzers, and can even be done through hearing switching sounds in our ears. As long as we are crossing the horizontal midpoint of our body, we are engaging BLS, and that is helping us anchor ourselves to the present and engage in dual awareness.
Will EMDR therapy retraumatize me?
Sometimes when we go through EMDR therapy we will see reminders of our past traumas. This is often like seeing scenery pass by when we are riding in a bus or a car. BUT, this is exactly why we go through EMDR with a therapist that you have built trust and rapport with before reprocessing our trauma.
Before beginning EMDR therapy, one should feel like they have a trusting bond with their therapist, and have developed ways to self-soothe and cope with the stress of doing EMDR. An EMDR therapist will work with you on many ways to do this and will help you develop resources and ways to self-soothe, so that EMDR will be a healing journey for you as opposed to a traumatic one. We recognize that sometimes people have a hard time talking about their trauma. For this reason, EMDR is minimally verbal.
Where can I find more information about EMDR therapy?
For more information on EMDR therapy, you can visit EMDRIA which is EMDR’s international accreditation website.
To discuss EMDR with one of our licensed EMDR therapists, call one of our offices to inquire about clinician availability. Reach our Chagrin Falls office at (440) 708-0188 and our Hudson office at (234) 269-6200. You can also submit our online intake form.
About the Author
Mitchell Harmon, LPCC-S
Mitchell Harmon is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with supervisory credentials in the state of Ohio. He earned both his master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Kent State University. Mitchell has worked in a variety of settings including community mental health agencies, intensive in-home programs, hospital groups, and private practice. He has completed training in EMDR and is also skilled in Narrative Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and using parts work to further assist in healing trauma.
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