-
Reducing extreme
anxiety from witnessing a suicide so that client's thoughts were
no longer disturbing
-
Reducing extreme
anxiety and panic caused by a work incident that kept a client
from applying for a job
-
Overcoming obstacles
that kept a sales client from making cold calls
-
Overcoming belief of
being incompetent
-
Overcoming fear
caused by previous stalking and physical abuse
EMDR is sometimes
helpful when talk pyschotherapy reaches its limits as it may bring
up past events to be processed that did not previously arise. It
also helps people achieve their goals though positive imaging or
imagining themselves meeting their goals while using EMDR. It is
well known that Olympic champions do positive imaging or imagining
at least 15 minutes a day. EMDR has been found to make this positive
imaging even more effective. EMDR clients often have positive
solutions to problems and positive feelings arise naturally in
them.
HOW DOES
EMDR WORK?
Research
is constantly being conducted to understand how EMDR works. It is
known that it works on the brain and produces a physiological change
on a neurological level. We know that when a person becomes very
upset by a difficult emotional experience or trauma, there is an
overload on the system and information processing is blocked. There
is an over excitation of the brain and a resulting change of neural
elements. It is believed that the upsetting event also prevents REM
sleep, the nightly sleep that helps people process normal emotional
events of the day.
The
neurological blockage causes the incident to remain in the body in
its anxiety-producing form along with the original thoughts,
feelings, flashbacks or nightmare.
Shapiro
believes that EMDR unlocks the neural channels in the brain and
increases REM sleep, allowing the brain to complete the processing
which was blocked by the traumatic event.
EMDR is
not hypnosis, and the client feels more in control as s/he is in a
different brain wave state than under hypnosis. Research shows that
the effects of EMDR are long lasting. One study of 80 subjects with
post-traumatic stress improved significantly with EMDR and the
beneficial process remained for at least 15 months.
HOW LONG
DOES EMDR TAKE?
One or
more sessions area needed for the therapist to understand and the
problem to be solved. A typical course of treatment may be three to
ten EMDR sessions, each 60 or 90 minutes long. EMDR, often used in
conjunctions with talk therapy, may take longer, depending on the
nature of the trauma and how many times it or related traumas
occurred.
WHAT IS
AN EMDR SESSION LIKE?
I
typically guide the client to find a safe place in their mind such
as a place in the mountains, by the water or at home. This is to
relax the client and to provide a safe internal place for the client
to go in case of any of the material experienced is disturbing.
The client always has the option of stopping the session any time
s/he pleases. I then ask the client to describe the disturbing
information in detail as well as related emotions, body sensations,
and any negative self-assessment that resulted from the incident
such as "I'm trapped," "I'm powerless," etc.
Depending
on the clients preferred method of taking in information, I have
him/her process the experience using
eye movements, sounds
in alternative ears using earphones or with handles that stimulate
each hand with a vibration. The idea is to obtain bilateral
stimulation with these methods. After the disturbance is reduced, I
then ask the client to image the event as she/he would have liked it
to happen and continue with the eye movements, sounds or hand
sensations. I keep asking the client to tell me what they are
experiencing and guide them through the experience.
After an issue is
worked through, clients typically feel empowered, less anxious,
light, more positive and relieved. Having removed their blocks,
they are able to move forward with the life changes they wish to
make. EMDR does not work for everyone, but the powerful process has
helped thousands of people to overcome the effects of anxiety and
emotional distress and to achieve peak performance.
Minimum training for
EMDR practitioners is two three day training sessions.
In addition to these
trainings, certified practitioners have 20 sessions with a higher
level trainer who supervises the practitioners EMDR practice during
that period. Certified practioners have to meet additional EMDR
educational requirements every two years.
