The Case for EMDR: Healing for the Brain and Body
Traumatic experiences get stored in our bodies, in addition to our thoughts and memories. For example, have you ever read something or watched something and had an immediate visceral reaction before fully knowing what caused it?
Maybe you started to tear up, you felt your stomach turn or your heart beat faster. Through reflecting, you might realize what triggered your response. Perhaps the movie you were watching about an individual physically abusing his spouse harkened back memories of your previous relationship in which your partner became verbally threatening and you did not feel safe. Alternatively, you might not have consciously realized how unsafe you felt in that relationship, but your physical reaction shows that on some level you felt scared and uncomfortable.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (or EMDR for short) is a powerful treatment because it helps both the brain and the body heal. These feelings and where they are held in the nervous system are often at the root of symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, being reactive in interactions with your partner or child, feeling numb or disconnected, etc. When we experience a traumatic or difficult situation, our trauma response kicks in to help us cope (flight, fight or freeze). While adaptive in the moment, this process inhibits the brain from engaging in its natural healing process.
EMDR helps the necessary areas of the brain reconnect with one another to allow for healing. From this place of interconnection, the feelings, thoughts and physiological sensations that were experienced during the trauma can be processed through and released, so they do not have to remain stagnant in the system.
In light of its ability to produce comprehensive healing for the nervous systems, EMDR is often found to be a more efficient method for treating trauma. A 2020 study analyzing cost effectiveness of PTSD treatments found EMDR to be “the most cost-effective intervention for adults with PTSD” (https://www.emdria.org/research/emdr-therapy-indicated-as-the-most-cost-effective-trauma-treatment/). Furthermore, because we know that many mental health disorders are actually ways that our systems are trying to cope with various experiences of not feeling physically or emotionally safe, EMDR is effective for a multitude of presenting concerns (see the International EMDR association’s comprehensive list: https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/).
EMDR is also helpful because it does not require an in-depth understanding into the origins of a given problem or symptom prior to starting.
The problem with treatments that rely on insight as a precursor to healing is that at times, we do not have conscious access to memories or thoughts related to a difficult experience. When in a traumatic situation in which we are powerless to escape (the flight response) or to fight back (the fight response), one of the ways our systems cope is through dissociating (the freeze response). This simply means we find a way to “check-out” mentally in order to protect ourselves. Dissociation can inhibit memory formation, as our brains are not functioning in the way that is required to encode the experience as an explicit memory. Our bodies however are far better than our minds at coding memories. As with the example above, the woman who did not feel safe in her relationship did not necessarily label those experiences as “unsafe” in her mind, however her body did. Through EMDR processing people often gain insight, while also healing the thoughts, feelings, and physiological sensations associated with the trauma. This process in turn leads to decreased symptoms. Watching violence in a movie will still be uncomfortable, however for the woman from the example, her personal visceral response will be less intense.
Interested in learning more about EMDR therapy and how it could help what you’re experiencing? At SageWell Health we specialize in the use of EMDR for a variety of presenting concerns. It can be effectively used during virtual therapy sessions. We would love to talk with you further. Please contact us to learn more.