What is EMDR Therapy & How It Can Change Your Life

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, more commonly known as EMDR therapy, helps reprocess traumatic memories that manifest themselves into conditions like PTSD, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and much more. This treatment has been around since 1989 and has helped many people in abusive relationships, addiction, war veterans, significant accidents, and much more. Unfortunately, 70% of adults experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. In addition, 20% of people who share a traumatic event will develop PTSD; about 13 million people have PTSD in a given year. Most of the time, Trauma goes untreated for years because we suppress it, which usually leads to more Trauma in the future. In this article, I will talk about the benefits of EMDR, why it's good for you, and how it can heal you.

What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment initially designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. Created by Francine Shapiro in the 1980s, during a walk in the park, she experienced her first EMDR session. When each foot hit the ground, it stimulated one side of the brain and the other when the other foot struck the ground. Now using electrostimulation devices, therapists all over the country use EMDR as a method of reprocessing traumatic memories and giving them a safe space to create a new belief about the situation. EMDR uses a three-pronged protocol: (1) the past events that have laid the groundwork for dysfunction are processed, forging new associative links and adaptive information. (2) The current circumstances that elicit distress are targeted, and internal and external triggers are desensitized. (3) Imaginal templates of future events are incorporated to assist the client in acquiring the skills needed for adaptive functioning.

To summarize, EMDR helps decrease the Trauma's intensity, making it easier to manage. This can help with anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, and depression.

How Does Trauma Affect Us?

Trauma can interfere with regions of the brain that govern fear and stress responses, emotion regulation, and executive functions. These neurological effects increase the risk of emotional, behavioral, and mental health problems.

We all have a fight-or-flight response to stress; our amygdala detects threats or dangers during this process. Our brain then releases adrenaline and cortisol to help our body survive stress. Physical or emotional Trauma can trigger this response with high pressure and anxiety levels. When this happens, people experience sudden changes in their body and brain. For example, you may experience high heart rate and increased blood pressure. Rapid shallow breathing, a burst of adrenaline, increased alertness and hypervigilance, sweating, or shaking.

Long-term effects on the brain are determined by how long the given person has had Trauma. So it depends on how old you are, how intense the Trauma is, and the effects of the shared Trauma, like an anxiety disorder or chronic stress. Over time this type of stress can lead to PTSD, Hypervigilance, Anxiety disorders, panic attacks, and avoidance. These affect your memory, relationship skills, career choices, etc.

Also, Trauma can destroy our gut health and cause us to get sick more often, setting us up for emotional eating and decreasing our ability to make healthy decisions. This can lead to other debilitating health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.

When is it necessary to get help?

Getting help when your stress and anxiety affect your daily lifestyle is necessary, from underperforming at work to isolating yourself from loved ones. Even if you feel fear every day for no apparent reason, feel nervous all day, overwhelmed by your daily responsibilities, or encounter something traumatic. Sometimes it can be challenging to recognize when we need help, and being able to identify your emotions throughout the day is crucial. Schedule time with a therapist or a coach to guide you in mindfulness techniques or EMDR to get the help necessary.

Do not be ashamed of Your Past

Your past does not define you. Do not be ashamed to talk about what you have been through. It is what makes you who you are today. Unfortunately, our past can make us feel alone, judged, or not understood, which keeps us from being able to talk about it. This is why it is essential to find someone you can trust to talk about what you have been through to help you process it and move forward with a new perspective on your past. It is hard to be vulnerable; that is why we have health coaches, life coaches, & therapists to be there for you in a non-judgmental way. Having a coach or a therapist provides you with a space to speak freely about your past and current struggles with someone who can provide you with an ear and exercises to help you deal with your emotions and Trauma safely and healthily.

Self-help Techniques you can do to help.

Struggling with past Trauma and anxiety can cause triggers to happen to us throughout the day, and this can make it challenging to work or carry out our daily responsibilities. However, taking control of the anxiety is the key to keeping the stress at bay. So listed below are some self-help techniques you can use at home or at your desk.

1. Tapping (The butterfly hug)- One of the most common forms of controlling anxiety. When you feel triggered, bring your hands across your body as if you are giving yourself a hug, and then begin tapping on each shoulder back and forth. As you do this, focus on your breath and tap slowly and gently; This helps your mind focus on the present moment. This is a great time to create a safe space in your mind and observe your anxiety, like watching a cloud going by in the sky. You can do this as many times as you need to calm down.

2. The paint can technique is excellent. If you have a troubling memory pop up, you cannot seem to let it go. Take the memory and figuratively put it in an open paint can and stir it clockwise until it dissipates into nothingness. This technique is fast and easy and can be used anywhere.

3. Meditation- The holy grail of techniques for calming anxiety and stress. Meditating for just 5 minutes can decrease feelings of stress and anxiety, increase energy, productivity, and mental clarity, and boost your mood. There are different forms of meditation, like self-love meditation, body scan meditation, letting go of fear meditation, and much more. A great app to use is the insight timer because it has free guided meditations.

For more exercises and information on EMDR therapy.

Click the link below to read the book "Get Past Your Past," By Francine Shapiro (CLICK HERE)

Take away

If you struggle with past Trauma, the best place to start is with a therapist or counselor so they can help guide you down the right path. Treating anxiety and depression should not be taken lightly and should be treated as any other serious medical condition. I hope this article gave you something you can use to help deal with your stress and anxiety.