Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, or EMDR, is a psychotherapy developed in 1990. EMDR therapy is an effective way to treat anxiety, panic, PTSD, or trauma. After years of extensive research, EMDR is proven successful in treating trauma patients. EMDR therapy uses standardized protocols that include elements from multiple treatments proven to relieve trauma for millions of patients of all ages. Beachcomber IOP Delray and Beachcomber IOP Boynton Beach, drug and alcohol outpatient rehab, specializes in this unique form of therapy to help you or your loved one overcome the trauma that comes with addiction.
So what exactly is EMDR?
EMDR is a focused approach with phases to connect traumatized patients with images, thoughts, emotions, and sensations associated with the trauma they experienced, using the healing powers of the brain to move forward in their recovery. Based on the idea that symptoms occur when challenging experiences overwhelm the brain’s ability to heal, the healing process helps the patient re-experience their traumatic event through exposure in the safety of a therapist’s office. Individuals have a space to safely process these emotions until the traumatic information is no longer psychologically disruptive in their daily lives. Over time the exposure will not result in negative feelings.
EMDR has eight phases of treatment:
- History taking
- Client preparation
- Assessment
- Desensitization
- Installation
- Body scan
- Closure
- Reevaluation of treatment effect
During the process, the patient should focus on a disruptive memory and find a belief they have about themselves. If it’s connected to a negative memory, this technique can help them reconnect it to a more positive perspective. Such as, if someone believes they deserve bad things, EMDR can help them see that they don’t and they are a worthwhile person. It enables the patient to find the emotions associated with memory; then, they review the memory while focusing on rapid eye movement, followed by a reassessment. The process is repeated until the memory is no longer disturbing, replacing the disruptive emotions. Ideally, this leads to a peaceful feeling surrounding the memory.
Who Is the Ideal EMDR Recipient?
Edy Nathan, MA, LCSW, a licensed psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience in EMDR practice, believes that EMDR therapy can benefit patients with all trauma,
“What the technique does is shift the way we process the presence of the physical, emotional, and psychological effects related specifically to a traumatic event,” she says. “The pain and sense of danger carried within the self after a traumatic event grips the soul with such intensity that it leads to a sense of being in emotional quicksand. EMDR works to disarm belief systems, also known as cognition and changes the negative cognition through a series of lateral eye movements, tapping, or sound. At the same time, the client is asked to create the picture of pain and danger (trauma) that most disturbs them.”
Does EMDR Therapy Work?
The EMDR Institute says some studies show that 84-90% of single-trauma victims recover from PTSD after three 90-minute sessions. Other studies by Kaiser Permanente boost that number to 100% after six 50-minute sessions.
There are numerous forms of therapy designed to help patients deal with anxiety, PTSD, and trauma at Beachcomber IOP Delray and Beachcomber IOP Boynton Beach, drug and alcohol outpatient rehab in South Florida.
