EMDR

WHAT IS EMDR?

For Clinicians:

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy that was originally designed to relieve distress related to traumatic memory (Shapiro, 1989a, 1989b). Shapiro’s (2001) Adaptive Information Processing model claims that EMDR therapy makes traumatic memories and other adverse life experiences simpler to access and process to bring them to adaptive resolution. It relieves affective distress, reformulates negative opinions, and decreases physiological excitement after efficient treatment with EMDR therapy. During EMDR therapy, the client attends to emotionally disturbing material in brief sequential doses while focusing on an internal stimulus at the same moment. Therapist-driven lateral eye movements are the most frequently used inner stimulus, but a variety of other stimulus, including hand-tapping and audio stimulation, are often used (Shapiro, 1991). Shapiro (1995, 2001) hypothesizes that EMDR treatment promotes access to the network of traumatic memory, improving information processing, Forging fresh links between traumatic memory and more adaptive memory and data. It is thought that these new associations lead in complete information processing, fresh learning, elimination of emotional distress, and growth of cognitive insight. EMDR treatment uses a three-pronged protocol: the processing of past occurrences that laid the groundwork for dysfunction; Forging new associations with adaptive data ; targeted present distress-causing conditions and desensitizing inner and external triggers ; incorporating imaginary templates of future occurrences to assist the customer obtain the abilities needed for adaptive functioning.

For Laypeople:

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress caused by disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy, people may experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is frequently believed that severe emotional pain requires a long period of healing. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can effectively cure from psychological trauma as the body recovers from physical trauma. Your body works to close the wound when you cut off your hand. It feeds and generates pain if the wound is irritated by a foreign object or repeated injury. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR treatment shows that with mental procedures a comparable series of occurrences happens. The information processing system of the brain naturally moves towards mental health. If, due to the effect of a disturbing case, the system is blocked or imbalanced, the mental wound festers and can trigger intense pain. After removal of the block, Resumes of healing. Clinicians assist customers activate their natural healing processes by using the comprehensive protocols and procedures learned in EMDR treatment training sessions.

Over 30 useful controlled outcome tests have been performed on EMDR therapy. Some studies indicate that 84%-90% of single-trauma victims no longer have post-traumatic stress disorder after just three 90-minute sessions. Another investigation, Funded by HMO Kaiser Permanente, it was discovered that after only six 50-minute sessions, 100% of single trauma victims and 77% of various trauma victims were no longer diagnosed with PTSD. In another research, 77% of Combat veterans were free of PTSD in 12 sessions. EMDR therapy has been studied to such an extent that organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization and the Department of Defense have now identified it as an efficient type of trauma treatment and other disturbing experiences. Given the global acceptance as an effective trauma treatment, you can easily see how EMDR therapy would be effective in treating “everyday” memories, which is why people have low self-esteem, impotence feelings, and all the myriad problems that bring them into therapy. Millions of people have been efficiently treated over the past 25 years.

Description of treatment:

EMDR therapy incorporates different parts to maximize treatment effects. Full description of the theory, treatment sequence, and study of protocol and active mechanism can be found in F. Shapiro (2001) Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols and procedures (2nd edition) New York: Guilford Press.

EMDR therapy consists of three moments: past, present and future. Focus is given on past memories and related events. It is also provided to present circumstances causing distress and the abilities and attitudes required for beneficial future actions to be developed. These items are dealt with using an eight-phase treatment strategy with EMDR therapy.

Phase 1: The first phase is a historic session(s). The therapist assesses the client’s readiness and generates a treatment plan. Customer and therapist define prospective goals for EMDR processing. These include distressing memories and circumstances that cause emotional distress. Other goals may include previous associated occurrences.

If the client had a hard childhood, original EMDR processing may be directed to events of adolescence rather than adult stressors or detected critical incident. Usually, clients gain insight into their conditions, resolve emotional distress, and their behaviors start to change. Treatment duration relies on the amount of trauma and the age of onset of PTSD. Generally, Those with adult onset single event trauma can be handled effectively in less than 5 hours. Multiple victims of trauma may involve a longer period of therapy.

Phase 2: The therapist ensures that during the second phase of treatment, the client has several separate techniques of handling emotional distress. The therapist can teach the customer a variety of imaging and stress reduction methods that the customer can use during and between sessions.

An EMDR treatment goal is to bring about rapid and effective change while maintaining equilibrium between and during sessions.

Phases 3-6: A objective is identified and processed using EMDR therapy procedures in phases three to six. These require three things that the client identifies:

  1. The vivid visual image related to memory

  2. An negative belief in yourself.

  3. The body’s related emotions and emotions.

When the client reports no distress associated with the targeted memory, (s)he is asked to consider the favorite faith that was acknowledged at the beginning of the session. At this time, if necessary, the client can adjust the positive belief and then concentrate on it during the next set of distressing events.

Phase 7: The therapist asks the client to keep a phase 7 closure log during the week. The log should document any material connected to it that may occur. It serves to remind the client that they have mastered two self-calming activities.

Phase 8: The eighth phase begins the next session. Phase eight is a review of the progress produced so far. The EMDR therapy processes all related historical events, present incidents causing distress and future events requiring distinct reactions.