Are you tired of hearing about EMDR therapy? 
Does it seem like you have NO IDEA what people are talking about when they say EMDR?
Do you keep wondering….What the heck is EMDR anyway?
Well, if the answer is yes to any of these, you’ve come to the right place.
First, let’s start with the basics.
EMDR stands for Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a type of therapy that has gained a ton of popularity and momentum since its initial discovery by Francine Shapiro in 1987.
At that time, EMDR was exclusively used to treat the veteran population, and primarily used with those diagnosed with PTSD. To this day, it remains as a best practice treatment of PTSD by numerous veterans and healthcare associations around the world.
The primary way of implementing the treatment is through Bilateral stimulation or the activation of the left and right side of the brain, most commonly by engaging in eye movements from left to right.
Now, I’m guessing you’re wondering: why the heck would I be doing eye movements in therapy?
Well there’s some science behind this.
The movement of the eyes in EMDR was reported to trigger the same reprocessing that occurs when we enter REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. [REM sleep is when you are typically dreaming and it is most commonly associated with activating parts of your brain for learning].
The same effects can be seen with eye movements or any type of bilateral stimulation. Alternating taps to the left and right side of our body, let’s say our shoulders for example, is also a form of bilateral stimulation that elicits the same type of brain reprocessing and is frequently used during telehealth.
It’s important to note that the bilateral stimulation is not EMDR by itself. EMDR therapy is actually an 8 phase modality of treatment- and all parts of it are essential to ensure that a therapeutic connection, safe environment, and necessary clinical experience are achieved.
Now, let’s get into some of the mechanics.
EMDR is very effective for assisting people in storing traumatic memories in an adaptive way. Non- traumatic memories are stored a specific way- to keep things simple, let’s say they are stored “correctly” in the brain. There is no emotional reaction to experiencing something that reminds you of a correctly stored memory (unless you are remembering a beach trip- then you might feel pretty nostalgic or happy).
On the flip side, when your brain experiences a traumatic event, the memory is stored “incorrectly.” In this situation, being triggered by a traumatic event may look like experiencing sensations in your body when reminded of the event, or feeling as though your response to the stressor was out of proportion to what was actually happening.
If you experience an emotional response, that’s your brain letting you know that you haven’t fully processed the event. Hence the need for reprocessing.
Our triggers are clues that there is more healing to be done.
Simply put: Someone who experienced a trauma, like a car accident, will experience distress when reminded of the event. Similar cues in their environment, so perhaps getting back into a car, activates the unprocessed memory, and the individual may experience intense fear and/ or panic when faced with those same triggers. The use of bilateral stimulation (remember, most commonly used is eye movements), is a key part of the process that helps reduce the distress of the memory and the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that came along with it.
Now you may also be wondering…
Will EMDR work for me if I haven’t experienced any trauma?
The answer is yes, but we also need to explore what you are considering to be trauma.
As the practice of EMDR therapy evolves, so does the use and effectiveness evolve in terms of treating different populations and reasons for seeking treatment.
There is a growing research and literature around the different uses of EMDR for the various ways we define trauma (little t versus big T) and its effectiveness.
This looks like, addressing more nuanced moments in life, that don’t seem to be “a big deal”- only, the kick is, they really are.
There is more to “trauma” than what society and/ or social media may say. An event does not have to include violence, death, or be extreme to be considered trauma. In fact, an event being traumatic is entirely up to the individual that is experiencing it.
A trauma is an event that happens that significantly changes the course of an individuals’ development. That means, trauma could mean experiencing your parents’ divorce. Experiencing emotional betrayal. Trauma can even be not getting a need met at a young age when it was important.
EMDR can be especially useful in these situations, because oftentimes, the event that is being stored in the brain is also being stored with a negative belief that you hold about yourself.
That belief could be something like “I am not enough” to “I am powerless”. How this memory and sensation is stored in the brain, as mentioned before, is incorrect, and the result is an unprocessed memory.
The result is a present day trigger.
The next time you feel insignificant or powerless, you are not just reacting to the present moment. You may flash back to that 9 year old memory of feeling insignificant or powerless, and actually notice those feelings in your chest. Your 9 year old self that experienced that original feeling is active.
EMDR helps desensitize you to this feeling and perception. After completing the protocol, the individual can revisit a memory that was traumatic for them, and no longer be emotionally charged. In fact, they are able to look at something that was particularly devastating and note that the memory itself is sad, but there is no physical or emotional response evoked from the memory.
This translates into being able to come face to face with a triggering event, and no longer having your body involuntarily respond for you. You learn to develop control over your responses and as a result, are now able to experience the freedom of living in the present moment- not in the past.
I challenge you to think about what your triggers may be today.
Perhaps, what you’re reacting to in the present moment has roots in the past.
It may not even be what you would consider a significant event or memory that you can recall in the present moment.
The beauty of working with an EMDR trained clinician is that they will help you float back and get to a memory that may be a little harder to access.
EMDR therapy is helping everyday people move from just “naming their triggers” to working through the source of the trigger and gaining control over how you react.
Doesn’t that sound like something everyone needs these days?
A quote from Shapiro, the founder of EMDR, that sums up the full experience of EMDR beautifully:
“When an event has been sufficiently processed, we remember it but do not experience the old emotions or sensations in the present. We are informed by our memories; not controlled by them.”
EMDR therapy helps you break out of being in the past, so you can fully be in your present. 
We are here to help our clients value their best opportunity, themselves.
Operating in the past will keep you from showing up fully as yourself today. Let us help you move forward.
The Worth, Wisdom and Wellness Center provides Trauma & EMDR therapy, Therapy for Perfectionism and Low Self-esteem, Therapy for Anxiety and Depression, and Faith-Based Therapy to Black women and Women of Color. You don’t have to overwork yourself to change.
We are here to help.
If you are located in the state of Georgia and interested in starting your healing journey, you can follow any of the steps below.
- Contact us to schedule your intake appointment.
- Visit this page to learn more about our services.
- Review our About Us page to learn more about our trauma trained providers.
- Review our FAQs page to learn more about therapy at our center.
We look forward to being a part of your healing journey.