What Is EMDR?
Eye movement desensitization & reprocessing, generally known as EMDR, is a proven and effective method counselling environments used to treat a variety of disorders and distressful feelings, symptoms and body sensations. EMDR, developed by Francine Shapiro is described as “repeated eye movements that desensitize unpleasant thoughts and relieve associated disturbances” (Mauer, 2021, p.11). These back and forth eye movements send signals to the brain that activates the brain, similar to the “REM sleep like state” (Mauer, 2021, p.17) by shifting back and forth between the left side of the brain and the right side of the brain. When your brain is activating both sides and shifting back and forth, it allows for the brain to process the traumatic and stored memories and events. The eye movements along with the EMDR process, is then able to target the trauma, the traumatic thoughts and targets the stored memories in the brain.
What Does This Mean?
When we are affected by trauma, either the “Big T” like a single traumatic event, or several smaller and repetitive “t’s”, sometimes these events and memories become maladaptive, meaning they are not fully processed. When these specific memories are not fully processed, they often end up showing up as triggers. Triggers are simply pieces of the fragmented and unprocessed pieces of that event. EMDR, simply helps your brain to process the fragmented memories and desensitizes the distressing symptoms though using the bilateral eye movements which then allows the brain to be able to change the thought pattern of that memory. EMDR is helpful because it helps individuals to feel less “activated” and be able to work through triggers and distress more successfully.
Why Choose EMDR?
EMDR has been proven to be one of the most effective therapy methods for things such as PTSD, and various forms of trauma such as a single event, repetitive traumatic events, or things such as childhood trauma, abuse, medical trauma, anxiety disorders, chronic pain, and mood disorders. EMDR has also been known to be successful when implementing it right after to a single traumatic event exposure and has been known to help reduce the development of PTSD symptoms. EMDR is often works quicker and requires fewer sessions than other treatments or methods and finally allows your brain to heal & to feel more free.
To learn more about EMDR or to book a session to see if EMDR may be helpful to you, please send us a message: info@cultivatewellnessyqr.ca
Source: Mauer, C. (2021). EMDR Basic Training Course. CONNECT Training & Consulting.
