So What Exactly is this EMDR Stuff and how does it work??

It seems like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or simply EMDR, is being talked about all over the place now and is generating buzz left and right. This could be due to popular and well known figures, like Prince Harry and Sandra Bullock for example, being open and transparent about how EMDR has changed their lives, as well as in part due to the increasingly high demand of individuals seeking relief from their suffering. There’s nothing like a global Pandemic to encourage one to finally seek the support they have known they needed for a long time. Symptoms that once were able to be ignored are commonly being exacerbated to the point they are now demanding our attention. Or perhaps with the time, space and uncertainty of the future, it has allowed things once buried to now surface seeking true resolution. The act of ignoring, burying and trudging forward is no longer effective or acceptable for many, leaving them with the opportunity to truly face what is at the root of their issues with the desire to experience true relief and healing. 

Regardless of the factors at play, there is no denying that EMDR is a very sought after treatment now more than ever. So where did this highly effective evidenced based treatment come from and what exactly is it? Well, in a nutshell: in the late 1980’s, Dr. Francine Shapiro discovered by her own experimentation the relationship between bilateral stimulation (back and forth movement) and decreasing the intensity of upsetting emotions and memories. The bilateral stimulation (or BLS) can be administered in the form of eye movements, through tactile, visual or audio stimulation, most commonly. But truly, there is no limitation to what works so long as it’s following that rhythmic, back and forth, back and forth pattern. This could be walking, running, drumming, drawing or coloring, for example. Theories support that the pure and simple act of rhythm and repetition has a calming effect on our nervous system. This could be rooted all the way back to experiencing the rhythmic and calming nature of our mother’s heartbeat in utero while our brains were being formed and developed (Parnell, 2008).  

So why is bilateral stimulation (BLS) helpful in reducing disturbing emotions or memories? Keeping things relatively simple, the left hemisphere of the brain, thought to be largely responsible for logic, and the right side of the brain, thought to be more responsible for the emotions and sensory input, work together to fully integrate the material being discussed (Kiessling, 2014). That’s where the true power of EMDR really shines. It’s connecting the information, or narrative, about the event from the left side of the brain, with the felt sense and memory of the event in all of its richness and aliveness that lives in the right side of the brain and within the body’s nervous system. This is accomplished through the decided upon form of BLS and bridges the gap between feeling and thinking something to be true. Oftentimes, especially in relation to something overwhelming or traumatic, the smart part of our brain knows something to be true, yet we have a felt sense in our gut (or somewhere else in the body) that has us believing something else entirely different to be true. For example, you get robbed, and while you logically know that you are now safe and the event is over, your body’s fight/flight/freeze response still gets triggered at the smallest hint of a threat signaling that you are NOT in fact safe- get out of there! Your body is responding to burnt toast as if there is a raging fire taking place that you need to escape. The brain, body and senses are out of alignment. In EMDR you are guided to focus on a disturbing memory, the negative belief about that memory, associated emotions and affect, and then introduce bilateral stimulation. This process results in assisting all components of the body and mind to fully digest the events and arrive at the same place and understanding. There is also a goal of creating a more adaptive belief about the experience and yourself. You still hold the memories of what happened, but the way in which you relate to these events feel completely different. You are releasing the charge, or intensity from the situation. So when bringing up a past memory or event that used to evoke a physiological and emotional response, commonly associated with a negative belief about yourself (ex. “I’m bad” or “I’m not safe”), after EMDR is experienced as more neutral, or adaptive (ex. “I’m okay the way I am” or “I’m safe”). The perspective has been broadened to where you no longer have tunnel vision and are frozen in aspects of the trauma, but can zoom out to hold in your awareness any adaptive information from the event, or at the very least the knowing within your system that the event is in fact over- you survived it. 

This bilateral stimulation conducted through EMDR is similar to the process in which we believe happens during REM sleep. Much like how we process and properly store the events of the day while we sleep, we are utilizing our body’s natural processing system in a very intentional way through EMDR and bilateral stimulation (Parnell, 2008). So while the concept of BLS may sound odd at first, it really is quite natural and effective, and a process our body is no stranger to- it’s usually just taking place automatically while we sleep! There’s a reason why so many give the helpful advice of, “sleep on it” when struggling with something difficult. Or similarly, we will instinctively want to “walk/run it off” when we are feeling stuck or unsettled about a situation. This rhythmic and repetitive act that utilizes bilateral stimulation is an excellent way to assist in processing any situation. We may not come to a full resolution at the end of the walk or run, but we will definitely be at a different place from which we started. Through movement- rhythmic, bilateral movement in particular, content is processed and space is created for new insight, awareness and connections to be made.

Fast forward over the years, this treatment has been deemed one of the top Evidence Based Treatments for a variety of different issues, but most commonly associated with treating trauma, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, sleep issues, performance, pain, grief and loss, and many many others. This modality was created in the late 80’s and therefore is considered to still be relatively new in the world of psychotherapy. Research continues to support the effectiveness of EMDR even if not all the research can agree on THE exact reason why it’s so effective. I believe it’s a combination of ALL of the evidence, and will be experienced slightly differently by each individual. Some may find the bilateral stimulation to be the most influential factor, others may benefit most from the identification and awareness of what is at the root cause of their symptoms, and some may experience the deepest healing from the repair work around attachment and safety component that takes place under the whole umbrella of EMDR. There are also resourcing skills that are taught to support and prepare the individual to manage the varying challenges that inevitably surface when doing this deep work. For some, this part alone is deeply impactful and a catalyst to begin making the empowered changes one is ready to make.

 Bottom line, this modality of EMDR is gaining such attention because quite simply it is effective in providing true and lasting healing, and oftentimes at a more expedited rate than other traditional therapy modalities. This equates to less time in therapy and more time living your life to the fullest! 

If you would like to learn how EMDR can support you in your healing, or if you would like to work together, please reach out. I’d love to hear from you and support you along your journey! (Must be located in Washington state or Nebraska for clinical work)

~Samantha Straub MSW, LIMHP, LICSW

samanthastraub.com