TREATMENT METHODS: EMDR
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, abbreviated to EMDR, is a therapy for people who continue to suffer from the effects of traumatic experiences. This can be a shocking experience, such as a traffic accident or a violent crime. But the method can also be used for other experiences that have had a great impact on the development of a person's life, such as bullying or torment in childhood, which continue to have an impact in the here-and-now.
EMDR is a relatively new therapy. A first version of EMDR was described in 1989 by its developer, American psychologist Francine Shapiro. In subsequent years, this procedure was further developed and EMDR developed into a full-fledged therapeutic method.
EMDR
What is EMDR for?
Certain events can deeply affect people's lives. A large proportion of those affected "process" these experiences on their own. In others, psychological complaints develop. These are often intrusive memories of the shocking event, including frightening images (flashbacks) and nightmares. Other complaints that often occur are startle and avoidance reactions. If certain criteria are met, it is called "post traumatic stress disorder" (PTSD).
Although PTSD is still considered the primary indication area for EMDR, experience with the application of this treatment method in recent years has shown that it is possible to treat a wide variety of mental disorders and complaints associated with avoidance behavior, gloom and/or feelings of fear, shame, sadness, guilt or anger.
The starting point in each case is that these complaints arose as a result of one or more damaging experiences. This refers to events that have left such traces in the person's memory that he or she still suffers from them today. Examples include emotional neglect, grim medical experiences, loss experiences, work-related events and other shocking, shameful or otherwise impactful experiences. The EMDR therapist's main approach is to help the client process the memories of these events, with the intention of thereby reducing or eliminating the symptoms.
Much scientific research has been done on the efficacy of EMDR. The results show that clients respond well to EMDR.
EMDR is a short-term form of therapy. When it comes to trauma following a single major event, people are often able to resume normal daily activities after just a few sessions.
At the beginning of therapy, your EMDR therapist will pay extensive attention to the cause and background of the complaints. In addition, an appraisal will be made of a number of individual characteristics including the personal carrying capacity and the burden one experiences from the complaints. This will show whether a targeted trauma treatment is necessary or needed at that moment, and whether EMDR can be used for that purpose.
The therapist will ask you to think back to the event including associated images, thoughts and feelings. First, this is done to gather more information about the traumatic experience.
Then the coping process is started. The therapist will ask to recall the event again. But now this is done in combination with a distracting stimulus. Usually this will be the therapist's hand. The therapist will ask you to focus your attention on it and then move the hand back and forth about 30 centimeters away, in front of the face. Another method is through headphones in which sounds are alternately offered to the right and left.
After each set, a brief rest is taken. The therapist will then ask the client what comes to mind. The EMDR procedure usually triggers a flow of thoughts and images, as well as sometimes feelings and physical sensations. Often things change.
After each set of eye movements, the client is asked to focus on the most noticeable change, followed by a new set.
The sets of eye movements or sounds offered will gradually cause the memory to lose its power and emotional charge. Thus, it becomes easier and easier to think back to the original event. In many cases, the memory images themselves also change and become blurred or smaller, for example. But it is also possible that less unpleasant aspects of the same situation emerge. Another possibility is that new thoughts or insights arise spontaneously that give a different, less threatening, meaning to the event. These effects contribute to the shocking experience gaining a place in the person's life history.
Are there any drawbacks?
After EMDR therapy ends, the effects may continue for a while. This is good, of course. Nevertheless, in some cases it can give the client the feeling of being out of control for a while. For example, if new images or feelings surface. It is often reassuring to know that as a rule this does not last longer than three days. After that, a new balance has been established, so to speak. It is advisable to keep a diary and write down what comes up. These things can then be addressed in the next session.
What is the mechanism of action of EMDR?
Exactly how EMDR works is still unclear. One possible explanation for the effects of EMDR is that the procedure leads to accelerated information processing. Conceivably, combination of thinking strongly about the traumatic event and focusing on the distracting stimulus causes the natural processing system to be stimulated. An interaction between the two hemispheres of the brain stimulated by this method that integrates mind and feeling is another hypothesis as to why this method works. Future research will have to figure out how best to explain the observed effects.
EMDR also qualifies when treating children.
This when the child or adolescent is struggling with problems, which are suspected to be related to previously experienced upsetting events. Application of EMDR in children is possible from the age of ±2 years. Also major events that took place before language development has started can be processed with the help of EMDR. With very young children the parents or caregivers get an important share in the treatment.
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