What is EMDR Therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy was originally developed to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), however it has since been found to be effective in the treatment in depression, anxiety, stress, phobias and grief.

EMDR aims to separate traumatic experiences from the emotions attached to them. The treatment involves standardised procedures that include focusing simultaneously on (a) spontaneous associations of traumatic images, thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations and (b) bilateral stimulation that is most commonly in the form of repeated eye movements. In a typical EMDR session, while thinking about a painful memory, the client will follow the therapist’s fingers as they move back and forth (usually left to right) at eye level. Therapy aims to reduce subjective distress and strengthen adaptive cognitions related to the traumatic event.

One theory is that doing so stimulates the same brain mechanisms as rapid eye movement (REM), the type of sleep that allows the brain to process and store waking experience. When that waking experience is traumatic – a car accident, an assault or workplace/school bullying – the brain freezes and basically, the experience never gets shifted to the part of your memory where negative emotions are no longer present.

The result is that after the event, with little or no trigger, we can hear, taste, see and smell the event, and re-experience the fear and sense of powerlessness we felt at the time.  EMDR takes the charge out of those feelings and provides distance from the memory.

Why EMDR therapy?

Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy, people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that trauma and severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal.  EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.  When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound.  If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain.  Once the block is removed, healing resumes.

In addition, unlike CBT with a trauma focus, EMDR does not involve detailed descriptions of the event, direct challenging of beliefs, extended exposure or homework. Therefore, EMDR therapy is more direct over a short period of time and is less stressful for the client.

What is the evidence?

EMDR therapy has been validated by over two dozen randomised controlled trials (see http://www.emdrhap.org/content/what-is-emdr/research-findings) and numerous meta-analyses as an effective psychological intervention. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2013) Guidelines for the management of conditions that are related to stress, EMDR therapy and CBT trauma focused therapy are the only psychotherapies recommended for children, adolescent and adults with PTSD.  EMDR therapy has been recommended as an empirically validated effective trauma treatment by a wide range of organisations including:

• Phoenix (The Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health)

• The National Health and Medical Research Council

• The Australian Psychological Society

• The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies

• UK Guidelines for Clinical Excellence (NICE)

• American Psychiatric Association

• American Psychological Association

• Dutch Guidelines for Mental Health Care

• Israel National Council for Mental Health

What can EMDR be used for?

In addition to its use for the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, EMDR has been successfully used to treat:

• Anxiety and panic attacks

• Depression

• Stress

• Phobias

• Sleep problems

• Complicated grief

• Addictions

• Pain relief and phantom limb pain

• Self-esteem and performance anxiety

For more information and to access resources, visit EMDRAA on https://emdraa.org/emdr-resources/ or watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IPsBPH2M1U