EMDR Therapy
Perhaps you’ve heard of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) through Oprah Winfrey’s docuseries, The Me You Can’t See, where Prince Harry allowed the cameras to film a session with his therapist using EMDR for trauma he had experienced. You can view a clip here. There has been an increase of media coverage and interest in EMDR. But what is EMDR?
EMDR is used to treat distressing life experiences that are having a current impact on a person. The person may struggle with symptoms leading to anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, depression and much more. When a person experiences distressing events, the brain does not process these events like daily life events. Instead, the brain gets stuck and these memories don’t get stored in the brain properly. It is this reason that a person gets easily triggered in his/her daily life experiences.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (BLS), which activates the brain’s natural healing process. BLS is stimuli that can be visual, auditory or tactile and occurs in rhythmic left-right pattern. By using BLS, the distressing or adverse experience is broken down and the brain is able to store them appropriately.
Some people may think EMDR is just for those that have experienced trauma, such as being assaulted, experiencing a natural disaster (hurricane, earthquake) or being exposed to gun violence. However, trauma can be any event that the person finds distressing and sometimes these distressful events can compound to have a significant impact on a person’s life and mental health.
Some people may find that their trauma is too triggering to process according to EMDR’s methods. That’s okay. It’s still possible to process the trauma or distressing experience with out having to relive it.