I became curious about EMDR for trauma because it seemed to be a magical tool for working with trauma. Its praise has accompanied me throughout my professional career, and I wanted to give my clients state-of-the-art services for their recovery from trauma. Therefore, I decided to get trained in Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) at the Trauma Institute and Child Trauma Institute.
As a counsellor, I believe that I must first apply the methodologies I use with my clients to myself. Therefore, I used EMDR therapy to work through systemic trauma. The power of EMDR for trauma surprised me, and the EMDR sessions allowed me to heal emotionally quicker than I imagined. While I am aware that I had a positive experience with EMDR, I also know that recovery is complex and everyone is different. I hope that this information will help you better understand EMDR for trauma.
What is EMDR for Trauma?
Dr. Francine Shapiro developed EMDR. Initially, EMDR was designed to help individuals process traumatic memories and alleviate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). EMDR has since been used for various other mental health concerns as well. I use EMDR mainly for trauma and loss. EMDR is considered an evidence-based trauma treatment and has been endorsed by the World Health Organization.
Bilateral Stimulation
The hallmark of EMDR is bilateral stimulation which involves the use of side-to-side eye movements while focusing on painful or traumatic memories. There are different ways to stimulate side-to-side eye movement. I usually ask my clients to follow my fingers with their eyes while focusing on painful or traumatic images. Alternatively, I may also use sound. This dual awareness process allows clients to reduce the emotional intensity of the memory and to stay present. EMDR can be used for past memories, present triggers, or triggered parts and future fears.
8-Step Protocol
EMDR follows an 8-step protocol. The phases are treatment planning, preparation, assessment of the memory, reprocessing, installation of positive beliefs, body scan, and re-evaluation. During the reprocessing stage, I ask my client to concentrate on the different aspects of the memory while doing the eye movements. The eye movements happen in sets that usually last about 24 to 35 seconds.
After a set, I ask my client to take a breath and share what they noticed during the set. It’s usually images, cognitions, emotions, or sensations. After that, I asked my client to continue the eye movements while concentrating on what they noticed. This process continues until the client doesn’t have any remaining emotional distress. The duration of a memory reprocessing depends – sometimes it happens in a single session, and often it takes several sessions.
Apart from EMDR, I also used the so-called Flash Technique based on EMDR. It allows clients to work with painful memories without directly focusing on them. I often use the Flash technique to introduce people to EMDR and to reduce the intensity of emotions before directly working with memory with EMDR.
How does EMDR for trauma work?
EMDR helps clients process traumatic memories and reduces the emotional charge of memories. This process often reduces the distress an individual experiences associated with the trauma.
Preparation for EMDR necessary
While EMDR is beneficial and effective, the memory reprocessing needs to be integrated into the phase approach for trauma recovery and is part of Phase 2 – Trauma resolution. When I started using EMDR as a client, I already had done a lot of trauma healing and was able to navigate complex emotions while being in my window of tolerance.
It is unlikely that I could have used it that easily at the beginning of my healing journey. Before using EMDR, most people need to build the resourcing to navigate complicated emotions and manage a dysregulated nervous system. The client develops these skills in the first phase of the model for trauma recovery. Since each of us is different, this preparation will vary from person to person and is an integral part of healing.
EMDR for trauma: Not a standalone treatment
Depending on the trauma that happened to us, focusing on memory reprocessing with EMDR alone is often not enough. A comprehensive treatment plan for healing trauma often includes EMDR. However, it is best practice to integrate additional trauma treatment modalities, especially if people have experienced complex trauma.
Especially when it comes to adults who have experienced childhood abuse, it is essential to integrate skill-building around boundaries, managing intense emotions efficiently, and befriending the autonomic nervous system. I also believe that parts work therapy is essential. While the term “parts” may sound strange, it is a very helpful concept to express our complex inner worlds. Many people tend to have parts exiled from their lives to survive after traumatic experiences. It is important for recovery that we learn to welcome all of our parts and reconnect with them. Furthermore, I also integrate effective trauma counselling techniques in EMDR that allow clients to nurture a sense of inner safety, contain painful emotions or manage overwhelming feelings.
If people experience a higher degree of nervous system dysregulation while processing experiences with EMDR, it is usually a sign that the pacing is too fast. It doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with the individual or that EMDR doesn’t work. However, it is a sign that there is something we need to attend to and it is helpful to go back to stage 1 of trauma recovery and work with strengthening the nervous system and other inner resources.
Take away EMDR for trauma
Overall, EMDR is a useful methodology for resolving traumatic memories, the second phase of trauma recovery. Memory reprocessing with EMDR requires an appropriate preparation of the client which happens in the first phase of a trauma-informed phase model of recovery. The preparation needs to consider the client’s symptoms and capacity to navigate intense emotions. Especially for adult with childhood abuse, it is useful to combine EMDR and parts work. Wondering how much EMDR therapy costs? Check out the blog post ‘EMDR: How Much Does It Cost?’ for valuable insight.
As every therapist will tell you, healing involves discomfort – but so does refusing to heal. And, over time, refusing to heal is always more painful. – Resmaa Menakem
