Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

What is EMDR?

• Uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps, or tones) to process traumatic memories
• The goal is to desensitize distressing memories and reprocess them with healthy/balanced adaptive beliefs (i.e. “I’m a failure” to “It’s ok to make mistakes, I’m ok just as I am”)  
• 8-phase approach guided by a trained EMDR therapist 

EMDR helps the brain make new connections and integrate memories in healthier ways. Studies show it reduces PTSD and trauma symptoms for many patients. It has now been adapted to help with many other experiences or feelings, like anxiety and depression, among others. 

EMDR allows the natural healing process to resume by connecting the upsetting event, thoughts, feelings or body sensations with the adaptive information we need to effectively store the memory in our long-term memory, where we can recall it, but it is not intruding on our daily lives or being activated when we are not actively thinking of the event(s).

Why EMDR for Anxiety?

First, anxiety is a normal response to some situations and isn’t all bad. Sometimes anxiety can actually be helpful (in small doses!). When it gets too big or too frequent, it can start to wreak havoc on our minds and bodies. 

What I see most from my clients is that anxiety tends to stem from things we learned (or didn’t learn), to believe about ourselves, and sometimes from bad habits that seem to be helpful initially, but then just keep us stuck. 

EMDR helps your brain and your body get on the same page with what you want, which is to have healthy, balanced thoughts, the ability to manage your emotions and live the life you want to live! 

Anxiety is not a sign of weakness, a character flaw, a “chemical imbalance”, or something you’re just stuck with. It’s like the good advice your friends give you, that you just can’t implement, or the wonderful compliments you get from others, but you just can’t fully believe it about yourself.  

We want to have thoughts like: “I’m ok just like I am, I can handle this, or I am safe enough here”; but instead we think: “I can’t do this, I’m sure other people think I’m stupid, What if something goes wrong?…..”. 

I read that EMDR is for trauma, but I don’t think I’ve been traumatized?

First, everyone responds to situations differently. There is no rule as to what type of situation is considered traumatic and what is not. Sometimes what we learn is to be extra cautious, extra helpful or over-accommodating to others, very thorough in our tasks so we don’t mess up, or always looking out for the negative outcome so we are “prepared”. Over time, these experiences can lead to people having a lot of negative memories around the anxiety or other’s response to our anxiety (or lack thereof!); this is where EMDR comes in to help.

EMDR can help with both desensitizing to anxious triggers (going grocery shopping, driving, talking to co-workers, giving a presentation, etc.), or reprocessing things like panic attacks, or memories associated with anxiety or triggers for anxiety. For example: Maybe you have anxiety when you go to the doctor because you’ve had some scary medical procedures or you’ve had a family with lots of health issues, or you tend to pass out when you get bloodwork done. EMDR can help!

EMDR for ADHD and Autism?

EMDR for ADHD and Autism aims to help individuals who may have had some very negative experiences around their symptoms or traits find some relief from these negative experiences and work to build a healthy self-concept. Kids with ADHD often experience what is called a “negative feedback loop”; they can often have significantly more negative interactions from adults than their neurotypical peers, which can impact their self-esteem. Undiagnosed adults often experience many “failures” or mistakes in life, and this cumulative effect can result in anxiety, depression, or self-loathing. Additionally, stress negatively impacts our executive functioning skills, making daily tasks, paying attention, or resisting impulses even harder! EMDR can help with reducing unskillful reactions during times of stress.

Likewise, kids and adults on the autism spectrum can often experience many situations in life that are very stressful, sometimes traumatic; times where others perhaps didn’t or couldn’t understand their needs or pain, or they had to endure living in a world that is too loud, too bright, etc. Some individuals with lower support needs might be expected to act “neurotypically” and the pressure to mask their true selves can lead to burnout.

These, among other reasons, makes EMDR a nice fit for individuals wanting to find relief from these uncomfortable memories, or have a more balanced view of themselves and their strengths and needs. Because EMDR is not “talk therapy”, the client does not need to verbally explain as much to still experience some relief and connections to positive adaptive information.

*EMDR does not “cure” ADHD or Autism, which are different neurotypes, and not something inherently “wrong” with the individual.

Please see this wonderful blog post for more info on EMDR for ADHD!  See some emerging research on it here!

Who can do EMDR?

EMDR is safe for most people of any age. Sarah Linder, LCSW-R is an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist and is an EMDR Specialist for Children. We can figure out if EMDR is right for you or your child, together! 

Check the EMDRIA website for a more detailed explanation and video. [trigger warning for the video]