FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions:
What can I expect from a typical session?
Will I be ok to go to work, school, etc?
What is EMDR?
EMDR
stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. It
was developed in 1987 by psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro into a
well-tested protocol, initially for highly-effective treatment of Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, it has since been very successfully
adapted to help resolve a wide number of issues.
Dr. Shapiro's theoretical model for EMDR is based on what she calls
Adaptive Information Processing. The idea is that current symptoms are
triggered by unresolved historical trauma which, at the time, are
'locked' in the nervous system. All the related affects of experience
and distress can be misfiled or simply unprocessed in our physiology,
leaving us open to being triggered by stimuli in our present life into
our original traumatic state. EMDR seems to unlock these unresolved
traumatic affects, and allows our system to process and resolve them in
a way that is no longer disturbing.
The 'reprocessing' aspect of treatment allows us to reinterpret the old
material in a new way, letting go of what is no longer valuable about
the experience, and allowing the adaptive memory networks of the brain
to find new insights and resources.
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How does it work?
EMDR is linked to what occurs naturally during REM (rapid eye movement)
and deep delta-stage sleep, where the eye movement stimulates
cross-processing between the two hemispheres of the brain. As we all
know, when we have disrupted sleep or nightmares, we experience much
distress and normally processed events in our life can prove much more
difficult. We can look at past trauma as a 'living nightmare' where we
never wake up.
During EMDR, the client is asked to bring up the worst part of the
traumatic memory, while the clinician 're-starts' bilateral processing
in the brain through side-to-side hand movement, audio or hand taps
until the client's distress concerning the event subsides, in whatever
way it needs to. From there, the same bilateral stimulation is applied
to help the client discover new and adaptive ways to view their past
experience and how to postively integrate it into a new relationship
with themselves and improving their life going forward.
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Is it safe?
There is no guarantee of the outcome of any treatment.
However, your therapist will do a thorough history, and conduct a
medical/psychological screening with you to determine if EMDR is the
right treatment. In EMDR, great emphasis is placed on client
stabilization, determining if one's life situation is suited to
embarking on treatment, and ensuring they have the tools and resources
necessary to see the process through in a safe and effective manner.
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Is it effective?
16 randomized controlled (and 8 nonrandomized) studies have
been conducted on EMDR in the treatment of trauma . It is recommended
by the American Psychiatric Association as an effective treatment for
Acute Stress Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The
governments of the US, France, Israel and many more institutions
worldwide recommend EMDR as a top class treatment therapy in PTSD. For
a full research list, click here.
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How long does it take?
Your therapist will work with you to set treatment goals and a
suitable schedule, depending on whether it is a single event/issue or
comprehensive treatment, and according to your current circumstances
and budget. Everyone processes differently, though one can expect a
minimum of three to four treatment sessions to allow for the material
to properly resolve and you and your therapist to evaluate your
progress and pre/post treatment goals.
That said, even with treatment plans that take up to 12 weeks/sessions,
we see much more rapid and profound outcomes in EMDR treatment,
compared to the weeks, months even years that talk therapy can entail.
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What can I expect from a typical session?
Again, treatment sessions vary significantly according to the
issue presented, the individual, and their treatment plan. Once the
treatment is underway, typically what happens is your therapist will
'target' a sequence of past traumatic events, current triggers and
future worries. You will key into the feelings, sensations, negative
beliefs, etc, related to the event, do some eye movement or other
bilateral stimulation, and then talk about what happens. You can
certainly expect unanticipated affects (as described above) as the
material moves--much like getting a deep massage and feeling the
sensation of discomfort and pain shift and subside. Afterwards, as in
massage, you may experience further processing as related 'files' of
the trauma continue to process. Sometimes a target clears in one
session, and sometimes it takes repeated visits, until the overall
treatment plan is acheived.
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Will I be ok to go to work,
school, etc?
Your therapist will cover this in your consultation and
subsequent visits, to determine the best course of action, and if any
adjustments are needed in your life to meet your treatment goals.
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