Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
What is EMDR and how does EMDR help with trauma recovery?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic intervention used primarily for processing traumatic events. EMDR uses the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, which simply explained, refers to the neurobiological aspect of learning and forming memories.
Science shows that human beings have two types of memories, ones that we can easily recall (explicit) and ones that make up the structure of our understanding of the world (implicit), such as muscle memory (we know how to ride a bike, but it’s very difficult to explain it). Implicit memories are extremely important in our development in childhood because they form our understanding of ourselves and the world. We learn to adapt to our family growing up. The rules, roles and family system condition us as we connect one experience to another and form strong emotional codings about who we are.
These implicit memories become the very pieces of our core selves, sending us messages that can be positive or negative like “I am capable no matter what” or “I am not good enough.” These implicit negative core beliefs about ourselves are coded within us through an accumulation of stressful, upsetting, or traumatic experiences (complex trauma) such as a continuous feeling in childhood that you are unsafe, unloved, or unseen. Negative core beliefs can also be stored during a single traumatic event such as a severe car accident (single-event trauma). Whatever the case may be, these core beliefs cause us to repeat the same patterns in our relationships, careers, and day-to-day living because they are the inner force that guides us and helps us navigate through the world. An important step in EMDR is being curious about and identifying the beliefs you formed about yourself, the world and relationships/people.
EMDR and the AIP model suggests that these negative implicit memories have been stored abnormally in our brains, locked away from the natural and adaptive learning process of connecting one similar experience to another. Since these implicit codings are locked away, they cannot adapt with new experiences that might help us to develop a more functional understanding of ourselves and what happened to us, and they cannot move on. Hence the repeating patterns we can’t break free from. This is part of why EMDR trauma therapy can produce different results than traditional talk therapy when it comes to the resolution of trauma. Any memory of a traumatic event triggers the person to experience the negative feelings and belief associated with it, as if it is happening again in the present moment. Trauma also sends signals to our nervous system that tells us we are not safe, which causes us to get stuck in fight/flight/fawn or freeze.
The goal of EMDR is to add adaptive emotions to the locked neural network. This is attained through bilateral stimulation, a method that creates new neural pathways and the ability to access the stored trauma. The bilateral stimulation used in EMDR can be as simple as tapping your hands on your thighs back and forth, but EMDR therapists generally use tappers/buzzers that you can hold in your hands as they vibrate back and forth. Additionally, the eye movement aspect of EMDR was the original form of bilateral stimulation, which is still used today, wherein the EMDR therapist will wave their finger back and forth as the EMDR participant follows with their eyes. This engages both sides of the brain which elicits reprocessing of the trauma, a reduction of associated negative feelings, and allows for new associations with memories and experiences which produces more adaptive behaviors. Today there are several different forms of bilateral stimulation, and your EMDR therapist will work with you to find what is most comfortable for you.
If you are interested in doing EMDR therapy with us, please reach out here.