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Focus On: EMDR Therapy — A new kind of therapy for mental health issues With Celine Rodriguez, LCSW, Ryan Health | Emotional Wellness Center
Anyone can experience a traumatic or difficult experience at any time. One therapy that works especially well for people experiencing a disturbing life event, trauma, or PTSD is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR Therapy. It sounds complicated, but it’s really a very simple therapy. EMDR Therapy refocuses your attention away from those disturbing memories. It puts your attention on another stimulus, like the movement of your eyes.
EMDR Therapy differs from traditional talk therapy. Instead of just talking through a traumatic memory, you also engage in a specific technique involving back-and-forth stimulation—usually following your therapist's finger with your eyes or through tapping or sounds. This dual stimulation (stimulating the left and right sides of your brain) helps activate your brain's natural information-processing system. As you focus on the memory, the stimulation helps reduce the emotional intensity—making it easier to talk about. Over time, this process helps your brain "reprocess" the experience so that it feels less distressing. Many people find that their perspective on the memory shifts quickly, allowing for deep healing.
EMDR Therapy unsticks the memory that has been in your brain and been holding you back. The memories are still there, but they are triggering a different reaction in you. The sessions are relaxed and comfortable. They might involve breathing exercises to help bring focus and a calm environment. Generally, most patients only need a few sessions to lessen their PTSD.
EMDRIA, the EMDR International Association, says, “EMDR Therapy can help with a range of disorders, including anxieties, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences.”
EMDR therapists should be extensively trained in EMDR Therapy and are considered Clinically Trained EMDR Therapists. Not all clinicians obtain certification. A psychotherapist that has completed extensive training and supervision in EMDR Therapy is known as a Certified EMDR Therapist.
Several therapists at Ryan Health practice EMDR, including at the Emotional Wellness Center, Behavioral Health Integration, and School-Based Health. EMDR Therapy is recommended by all the major health organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the World Health Organization (WHO), among others.
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