What is EMDR?

Where does EMDR come from?

EMDR stands for ‘Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing’. It is a psychotherapy treatment that aims to reduce distressing emotions that occur from traumatic memories.

It was developed by Francine Shapiro to assist clients exposed to traumatic events.

Clients are helped to ‘reprocess’ trauma by using bilateral stimulation, right/left eye movement, or tactile stimulation, with the goal of activating cognitive processes to release emotional experiences that are “trapped” or buried.

What is EMDR useful for?

EMDR does not only treat trauma. It can also be used for any symptom related to memories of experiences in the past, including:

PTSD or a traumatic event
Phobias
OCD
Depression
Anxiety
Grief & Loss
Recurring intrusive thoughts or memories
Adverse life experiences

EMDR also provides a space where clients can freely experience emotion and learn to manage past traumatic events through the lens of sensory-rich scenes, rather than purely through therapeutic discussion.

To treat anxiety and phobias, the memories of situations where the client has learned to fear something are addressed, reducing anxiety. Depressed clients very often struggle with guilt and shame over adverse experiences where they have failed, felt powerless or insignificant. Processing these memories relieves their guilt and shame and changes their core beliefs.

How does EMDR work?

It can be incredibly traumatic for a person to revisit distressing or disturbing memories and discuss them in detail. A unique benefit of EMDR is that it’s not always necessary for the client to do so.

A therapist may ask a surface-level question about the trauma, and the client can in turn provide a surface-level answer that doesn’t explicitly going into the event.

The client can be helped to revisit the traumatic event(s) and surrounding thoughts and feelings, without having to explicitly convey what the event was to the therapist.

After making an overview of the client’s traumatic memories, for example on a timeline, selected memories are chosen. The sessions generally involve eight steps:

History and treatment planning
The therapist will discuss the client’s specific reason for coming and take a detailed history.
Preparation
The therapist will talk to the client about what they can expect from EMDR.
Assessment
The client chooses an image in their mind that relates to the memory they wish to work on and must identify any negative beliefs about themselves or associated with the event.
Desensitisation
At this stage, the therapist will either move their finger back and forth between the client’s eyes, lead the client in tapping, or deliver auditory tones, such as calming music, through headphones. All of these actions engage the same parts of the brain.
Installation
The therapist will then guide the client to replace the original negative belief or emotion with a positive one.
Body scan
The client revisits the memory to identify any physical tension remaining in the body. When it no longer causes distress, the treatment is considered successful.
Closure
If treatment was not fully successful this session, the therapist provides the client with ways to seek relaxation and imagery exercises to do until the next session.
Re-evaluation
In the next session, the therapist and the client assess the previous session’s work and re-evaluate the treatment plan as required.

The role of the therapist

Although EMDR may be used for different mental health problems, it has been primarily used in trauma therapy with the aim of empowering clients to resolve their trauma with the help of a therapist. Ultimately, the goal is to help you come to positive conclusions with guided support.

The therapist plays a key part in guiding the client and assisting where necessary. However, it’s ultimately the client who guides the process of tackling and reprocessing their trauma. Another key benefit of EMDR is that it empowers the client to feel that they can make meaningful changes themselves.

After EMDR treatment: What’s next?

EMDR integrates traditional strategies of therapy with newer ones, ultimately aiming to provide access to feelings that have been repressed and empower you to better understand (and cope with) the past.

Since therapy looks to improve a client’s future coping strategies when faced with traumatic events, at the end of the treatment the therapist may ask the client to imagine a future challenge and how they would feel in that situation. If distressing emotions again arise, it may indicate that treatment should continue for a while more.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for ‘Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing’. It is a psychotherapy treatment used to reduce distressing emotions that occur from traumatic memories, involving bilateral stimulation to activate cognitive processes. Primarily used in trauma therapy, EMDR can empower clients to resolve their trauma with the help of a psychologist.

What’s the role of the therapist in EMDR?

The therapist plays a key part in guiding the client and assisting where necessary, but it is ultimately the client who tackles and reprocesses their trauma. EMDR empowers the client to feel that they can make meaningful changes themselves. The idea is for the client to achieve positive change with guidance and support from the therapist.

What is EMDR used for?

EMDR is a proven therapy used in the treatment of trauma and related conditions, including:

PTSD or a traumatic event
Phobias
OCD
Depression
Anxiety
Grief & Loss
Recurring intrusive thoughts or memories
Adverse life experiences

How does EMDR work?

A therapist may ask a surface-level question about the trauma, and the client can in turn provide a surface-level answer that doesn’t explicitly going into the event.

A therapist can help the client to revisit the traumatic event(s) and surrounding thoughts and feelings, without having to explicitly convey what the event was to the psychologist.

After making an overview of the client’s traumatic memories, for example on a timeline, a selection of memories are chosen. The sessions generally involve eight steps (outlined here in more detail):

History and treatment planning: The therapist will discuss the client’s specific reason for coming and take a detailed history.

Preparation: The therapist will talk to the client about what they can expect from EMDR.

Assessment: The client chooses an image in their mind that relates to the memory they wish to work on and must identify any negative beliefs about themselves or associated with the event.

Desensitisation: At this stage, the therapist will either move their finger back and forth between the client’s eyes, lead the client in tapping, or deliver auditory tones, such as calming music, through headphones. All of these actions engage the same parts of the brain.

Installation: The therapist will then guide the client to replace the original negative belief or emotion with a positive one.

Body scan: The client revisits the memory to identify any physical tension remaining in the body. When it no longer causes distress, the treatment is considered successful.

Closure: If treatment was not fully successful this session, the therapist provides the client with ways to seek relaxation and imagery exercises to do until the next session.

Re-evaluation: In the next session, the therapist and the client assess the previous session’s work and re-evaluate the treatment plan as required.

Is EMDR an experimental intervention therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a widely used treatment for PTSD and a range of other mental health concerns. EMDR therapy has been subjected to rigorous scientific studies and proven to be one of the most effective therapies for PTSD. Notably, it is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

What does the World Health Organisation (WHO) say about EMDR?

The World Health Organization (WHO) released guidance on mental health care after trauma, recommending EMDR as an “advanced treatment” for PTSD recommending EMDR and CBT as “advanced treatment” options for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

What EMDR qualifications should my therapist hold?

Sally is a Psychotherapist and Social Worker registered with PACFA and AASW. Sally currently works at the Deepwater Psychological Practice in Woy Woy, as well as the Reliance Medical Centre at Bellbird. She also works as a therapist at the Glen for Women Rehabilitation Centre on the Central Coast supporting clients with addictions from substance abuse.

Sally has experience with helping clients to find strategies to manage trauma-related conditions, stress and adjustment problems, self-esteem issues, mental health, and is experienced with helping clients seeking support with parenting and relationships.

Sally values mindfulness and is particularly interested in the way mindfulness can increase personal resilience in stressful situations.

Are there any risks associated with EMDR?

EMDR is a gentle and safe treatment option proven to be one of the most effective therapies for PTSD. It works by challenging your brain to process memories differently, to take the emotional charge out of traumatic memories.

What comes after EMDR therapy?