Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Developed by Francine Shapiro in 1987
It is an empirically supported trauma treatment meaning it has been tested and proven to be effective in processing trauma symptoms. It all began when Francine was taking a walk and noticed her unpleasant thoughts she was having disappeared without any conscious effort and when she brought them back to mind, they were not as upsetting or valid as before. When she paid more attention to what was happening, her eyes “spontaneously started moving rapidly back and forth, she then did it again deliberately while concentrating on a variety of disturbing thoughts and memories” and they appeared to decrease the negative emotion associated with her own distressing memories (Shapiro (2018), p. 7).
She assumed that eye movements had a desensitizing effect, and when she experimented with this she found that others also had the same response to eye movements. It became apparent however that eye movements by themselves did not create comprehensive therapeutic effects and so Shapiro added other treatment elements, including a cognitive component, and developed a standard procedure that she called Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD) (Shapiro, F., 2018, p.7-8). Shortly after doing a research group, she realized restructuring was happening and thus EMDR was truly born.
The goal of EMDR treatment is to process maladaptive memories and incorporate new adaptive ones. Often, when something traumatic happens, it seems to get locked in the brain with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, feelings, and so on. Since the experience is locked there, it continues to be triggered whenever a reminder comes up. It can be the basis for a lot of discomfort and sometimes a lot of negative emotions, such as fear and helplessness, that we can’t seem to control. These are really the emotions connected with the old experience that are being triggered. The eye movements we use in EMDR seem to unlock the system and allow your brain to process the experience. That may be what is happening in REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep, when our most intense dreaming takes place: The eye movements appear to be involved during the processing of unconscious material. (Shapiro, 2018, p. 115-116)
Using bilateral stimulation (most often eye movements) we reprocess the past memories that set the foundation for your pathology, desensitize the present triggers, and explore future adaptive outcomes related to the original challenges. The eye movement accesses both parts of your brain to remove or reduce any blocks preventing growth/change and allow the brain to resume its natural healing process. Your clinician will work through each of these stages to help you work through any uncomfortable information relating to the original memories you seek help for. Typically EMDR is not the end-all be-all, it can and should be used in conjunction with traditional talk therapy to ensure your overall wellbeing.
A Three Pronged Protocol
“The important thing to remember is that it is your own brain that will be doing the healing and that you are the one in control.”
Shapiro, F (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures. Third Edition. The Guilford Press.