What is EMDR Therapy?

You've probably heard about it if you've researched treatment for trauma. Maybe you've seen the video of Prince Harry using butterfly taps. So what is EMDR therapy? Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychotherapy that aims to reduce the symptoms of distress associated with trauma and PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder). EMDR has been used by trained psychotherapists for several decades and there is a strong body of evidence to support its effectiveness. EMDR can be an effective treatment for anxiety and depression as well as reduce the symptoms of PTSD and process the trauma and grief of infertility, pregnancy and infant loss and stillbirth. 

Francine Shapiro, the originator of EMDR theory, believed that the brain and nervous system have an inherent ability to heal from adverse life experiences, which she described in her Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model. Trauma, as generally understood by EMDR therapists, is a psychological and emotional wound, and while often caused by something catastrophic, can also result from something that while not life threatening, is emotionally overwhelming. Just as our bodies can recover from some wounds with minimal intervention, while others might require a doctor or even surgery to repair, similarly, our system can process most adverse experiences on its own However, sometimes, the distressing event(s) are so overwhelming and intense that the nervous system is unable to process the disturbance and consolidate the experience. When this happens, the traumatic memories do not resolve and can remain fragmented and “stuck” in our pre-conscious and working memory, impacting our healing and continuing to cause dysregulation. 

EMDR uses a process of bilateral stimulation (BLS) to help consolidate the memory fragments into a cohesive whole. BLS means stimulation of both sides of the brain and nervous system together, and is achieved by tapping on the shoulders, knees or arms, eye movements, binaural sounds and electronic buzzers. This helps the “stuck” and unprocessed memories and images associated with the traumatic event to lose their sharpness and move to long-term memory where they truly belong. 

According to trauma researcher Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, trauma is not what happened to you, although that incident(s) was probably very overwhelming and scary. Trauma is the imprint that event left on your brain and nervous system. Because EMDR uses the power of the nervous system’s inherent healing mechanism, it can work rapidly; resolving distress in weeks or months, rather than years. Unlike traditional talk therapy, there is very little verbal processing, which can be a relief as sharing every detail of the incident can be retraumatizing. 

As a certified EMDR therapist, I offer EMDR virtually via my secure telehealth platform and in-person in my Hoboken office. You can expect to use self-tapping, eye movements and binaural beats virtually, while in-person I will likely also add in tappers that you hold or place under your knees. I’ve successfully used EMDR to process traumatic births including stillbirth, pregnancy loss and termination for medical reasons, infant loss, infertility and failed IVF cycles, sexual trauma, interpersonal violence and betrayal and attachment trauma. 

Interested in learning more about how EMDR can help you? Contact me for a FREE 15 min consultation now.