What is EMDR
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a form of trauma therapy that helps us heal from past experiences that hurt us. In EMDR, a patient follows their therapist’s fingers with their eyes. While they’re doing this, they imagine the traumatic experience that they went through, and the therapist asked them to visualize the event. Unlike other forms of therapy, EMDR allows the client to heal themselves. The therapist is merely facilitating the thought processes in the client’s brain, and the mind and body do the rest. The mind-body connection is a large part of EMDR. There are eight different phases of treatment that help people cope with trauma.
The phases of EMDR
Phase 1: The first phase of EMDR begins with the therapist taking a history of the client. They want to understand what they will be working on with the client.
They will determine the goals for EMDR processing. The patient will consider distressing memories and learn how to cope with them.
Phase 2: The therapist makes sure that the client has ways of coping with emotional distress. They will show them visual imagery and teach them how to manage their stress levels, particularly about the trauma. It’s important to make sure that your client knows how to cope with distressing memories before embarking on the next phase of EMDR.
Phases 3 – 6:
The client identifies three things:
- A visualization of the traumatic memory
- The belief about themselves
- The sensations they feel in their body due to the traumatic memory
The therapist helps the client come up with a positive belief about themselves to replace the negative one. Then the therapist begins the bilateral stimulation of the eyes. They have the client follow their fingers as the client visualizes the traumatic memory.
The therapist will sometimes use tapping and tones as well as the stimulation of the fingers moving back-and-forth. The repetitive eye motions stimulate the brain and help you focus on what the therapist says.
After each type of stimulation, the therapist tells the client to let their mind wander and go blank. That part of the process is integral since the mind has a lot of sifting through during EMDR. They ask the client about the feelings or sensations they’re experiencing. After the therapist hears their patient’s feedback, they will decide what to focus on next. If the client feels distressed or is overstimulated, the therapist works hard to get them back to a state of stability.
Phase 7: In phase 7, the therapist instructs the client to keep a journal during the week the therapist asks the client to keep a log during the week. When they’re experiencing stressful moments or feeling distressed, they should call upon some coping skills. The tools they learned in phase 2 will support them now. Understanding and practicing coping techniques is crucial to healing from trauma. If you can self-soothe, you will learn to manage your pain and begin to feel better over time.
Phase 8: At this point in EMDR counseling, the client has dealt with some significant traumatic memories. During phase eight, the therapist and the client assess what emotional progress the client has made during EMDR counseling. Each EMDR treatment is different. What remains the same is that they all address traumatic memories. The sessions will also confront instances where the client may be experiencing triggers. The individual learns to cope with anxiety, as well as traumatic wounds.
Finding EMDR counseling
Trauma can have severe consequences on our emotional and physical health. It affects both the mind and the body. If you’re recovering from trauma, EMDR counseling might be for you. You find an EMDR therapist in your local area or consider online therapy. Online counseling is a convenient and affordable way to cope with your trauma. You can be in the privacy of your home, or anywhere you feel safe to discuss your past. EMDR has been proven effective in treating trauma. You deserve a chance to heal from what happened to you in counseling.
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