Can You Explain EMDR?

#2 in the series Doing the Work of Trauma-Based Healing

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The goal of EMDR therapy is to leave you with the emotions, understanding, and perspectives that will lead to healthy and useful behaviors and interactions.
—EMDR International Association—

As I approached the end of my second year of therapy, I could sense my process writing was headed toward becoming a book—a memoir to be specific—and it would be necessary to explain EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). This trauma-based therapy was foundational to my healing. To solve the problem of having information clog up the narrative, I created an imaginary interviewer, Ms. Skeptic, to ask the questions.

Can you explain EMDR?

“EMDR is a recognized, research-validated therapy treatment in which the client remains aware but is able to go below the surface of cognitively processed events and resolve the underlying emotions connected to the memories stored in the limbic brain. It is done in a variety of ways by bypassing the cognitive part of the brain and allowing the experience, with all of the intensity of the attached emotions, to surface. In my case, this also released repressed memories. If unfamiliar with this recognized type of therapy, it might be good to explore the EMDR International Association website.” —Brave

Why was EMDR so important to your healing?

“My survival was dependent on cognitive coping strategies and few therapeutic interventions would have been successful in getting underneath my defenses. There are some concerns that EMDR causes memories to surface too quickly and may overwhelm dissociative clients who do not have strong processing structures in place. As with any therapy, the keys are skillful use and care for the client. For me, EMDR was the avenue of healing.” —Brave

My thoughts have expanded to include other trauma-based therapies but I will always be partial to EMDR—though it is difficult to explain why it was so effective! The following information from the EMDRIA website explains what I experienced during therapy sessions:

“While the client focuses on the upsetting event, the therapist will begin sets of side-to-side eye movements, sounds, or taps. The client will be guided to notice what comes to mind after each set. They may experience shifts in insight or changes in images, feelings, or beliefs regarding the event.” The client has complete control to stop the therapist at any point if needed. The sets of eye movements, sounds, or taps are repeated until the event becomes less disturbing.”

The following additional information from the EMDRIA website explains what the processing during the session accomplishes.

“‘Processing’ does not mean talking about a traumatic experience. "Processing" means setting up a learning state that will allow experiences causing problems to be "digested" and stored appropriately in your brain. That means that what is useful to you from an experience will be learned and stored with appropriate emotions in your brain and can guide you positively in the future.”

I often described EMDR processing as being similar to a solitaire game on a computer. Once the game program knew I would win, it moved the cards for me. I called it the “card deck shuffle.” This process accomplished several things (explained more fully in the Brave series):

• Sensing missing or misplaced pieces of the memory filled in gaps and often provided insights about the experience that were helpful in healing.

• Viewing the event as an adult who was capable of understanding that the abuse was not my fault—not just thinking this was true, but deeply feeling it was true.

• Validating what was true about scattered pieces of traumatic memories while recognizing the stories I created to protect myself—what I call cover stories.

• Recognizing the source of the overwhelming emotions that I had always described as a dark cloud, and the frightened child who was sometimes called an inner demon.

Over the years, as survivors have shared their experiences with EMDR, rarely, someone does not express a sense of awe for the ability of the therapy to remove the powerful, overwhelming emotions from the most difficult of memories. The extent to which this occurs varies between individuals, but it is rarely ineffective.

The work of healing was my greatest life accomplishment and would never have been possible without the help of a skilled EMDR therapist. The technical information in this article does not portray the freedom EMDR brought to my wounded child self, Jeannie who I often see running off to play in my imagination.

“Skipping away, [Jeannie] left the stuffed puppies and large doll behind. She was holding tight to the hand of the White Rabbit who led her to where her bike was waiting. Then, in the white fluffy clouds above me, I saw her ride toward a rainbow with a string of bluebirds behind her.” -Brave

Note: All information and resources presented in these newsletters are drawn from my personal story and do not replace professional psychological care for mental health issues. My legal and ethical advice is always to seek professional help.