How EMDR Therapy for PTSD Helps You Process Trauma
About 70 percent of adults in the U.S. have endured at least one traumatic event. This staggering number has inspired the creation of many powerful approaches to treat the fallout of trauma — for example, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Without proper treatment, trauma can turn daily life into a daily challenge. But, if you’ve been impacted by trauma, which modality is best for you?
It’s quite possible that you’ve never heard of one possible answer to this question. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a cutting-edge, short-term method outside the realm of medication and/or traditional talk therapy. Let’s take a closer look.
The Basics of Trauma
Before exposing EMDR, it’s helpful to first understand a little more about trauma. While each person’s triggers can be unique, the most common traumatic events may involve:
Being the victim of a crime
Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse
Loss of loved one (death, divorce, incarceration, etc.)
Life in a war zone
Neglect or abandonment
Natural disaster
Injury, illness, or accident
Scenarios like this can result in chronic symptoms like intrusive thoughts (e.g. flashbacks and nightmares), hyper-vigilance, unexplained physical aches, self-isolation, or dissociation.
What is EMDR?
This unusual approach takes place over as few as 6 sessions and typically no more than 20. After taking a thorough history, your EMDR therapist will help you choose a negative memory, thought, or sensation to focus on during the session. While you hold this image in your mind, your therapist will do something to provoke eye movement.
Typically, this means moving their hands and fingers in your field of vision as you follow those movements with your eyes. This combination has been found to induce a state similar to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In such a state, you can access past memories without getting triggered. This empowers you to finally and fully process and resolve these negative images and “replace” them with positive memories or beliefs.
Efficacy
Research shows that EMDR addresses PTSD symptoms with remarkable success. Even the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs strongly recommends EMDR for the treatment of PTSD in returning soldiers. Here is just a brief sampling of the stellar findings:
Victims of sexual assault showed PTSD remission as high as 90 percent after just three 90-minute sessions
Survivors of multiple traumas went through six 50-minute sessions after which 77 percent no longer had a PTSD diagnosis.
EMDR has been found helpful in other ways, e.g. helping children with low self-esteem move toward recovery
Other Benefits of EMDR Therapy
While talk therapy or medical intervention can go on for an indefinite time period, EMDR provides long-lasting relief after very few sessions. In long-term follow-ups, clients typically report ongoing benefits.
On top of that, clients do not have to concern themselves with the myriad potential side effects of pharmaceutical-based treatments. With EMDR, if any side effects arise, they are usually brief and minor, e.g.
An increase in negative memories in the early phase of the treatment
Vivid dreams
Some lightheadedness immediately after an EMDR session
Of course, everyone is different but the results speak for themselves.
You Probably Have Some Questions By Now
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is probably not what you might expect when it comes to trauma therapy. If so, it makes sense to reach out and learn more. Trauma is not something to be ignored or self-treated. So why not give yourself the option to try an approach that is effective and short-term — with virtually no side effects? You can heal and thrive again but you’ll need an experienced, trauma-informed professional to lead the way. I invite you to schedule a free and confidential consultation for EMDR therapy.