EMDR Therapy

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What is EMDR Therapy?

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an evidence-based approach that is designed to alleviate the emotional distress that people experience when they recall certain traumatic memories. 

As its name indicates, EMDR employs bilateral (side-to-side) eye movements along with therapeutic guidance to help patients replace painful emotions with healthier, more positive responses when recalling traumatic experiences from their past.

The History of EMDR Therapy

The origin of EMDR therapy can be traced to a walk in a park in 1987. 

While taking that stroll, Francine Shapiro, PhD, realized that the negative emotions she had been experiencing seemed to dissipate as she moved her eyes back and forth to take in the scenery. Dr. Shapiro used this insight to develop a procedure that she originally called eye movement desensitization, or EMD. Before the decade ended, she published the first study on this new approach in the Journal of Traumatic Stress. 

In 1991, Dr. Shapiro added “reprocessing” to the name of the therapy to acknowledge the emotional and cognitive changes that patients experience. Through the decades, EMDR has become a highly regarded treatment option for people who have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related mental and behavioral health concerns.

How Does EMDR Therapy Work? (The 8 Phases of EMDR)

With the guidance of a trained professional, EMDR patients progress through eight phases. 

Important note: As you are reviewing the information below, please remember that one phase does not equal one session. Sometimes an entire session may be devoted to one phase (such as during a patient’s first visit), while at other times a patient may progress through multiple phases in one session.

The eight phases of EMDR therapy are:

1. History & planning: The initial phase is devoted to a conversation between the patient and therapist. The purposes of this conversation are to establish goals for treatment, review the client’s history, and identify memories that may be addressed during future phases.
2. Preparation: The focus of the preparation phase is to familiarize the patient with the fundamental practices and principles of EMDR, so that they have a clear understanding of what to expect once the process gets underway. 
3. Assessment: This phase is when the therapist and client select a specific memory to focus on. This also involves talking about the type and level of distress the patient experiences when they recall the memory.
4. Desensitization: While the patient focuses on the memory identified during the previous phase, they will engage in a directed activity, such as rapidly moving their eyes back and forth in response to the therapist’s hand movements or another form of bilateral stimulation. The patient and therapist will repeat this process until recalling the memory no longer causes painful emotions. 
5. Installation: This phase involves the same type of bilateral eye movements that were used in the previous phase. But instead of minimizing emotional distress, the goal of this activity will now be to “install” a positive belief or emotion. While moving their eyes back and forth at the therapist’s direction, the patient will focus on a specific statement such as “I am safe,” or “I am in control of my life.”
6. Body scan: Though we typically talk about traumatic memories in terms of emotional pain, they can also cause actual physical distress. During phase six, the patient will recall the traumatic memory again to see if it causes them they to tension or experience other discomfort anywhere in their body.
7. Closure: Before the end of any session that involves desensitization and reprocessing, the therapist will ensure that the client has been returned to a calm state and is prepared to effectively cope with any difficult emotions that occur between sessions.
8. Reevaluation: Most EMDR sessions (except for the first one) begin with phase eight, so that the client and therapist can review the previous session and address any concerns before beginning that day’s activities. 

Benefits of EMDR Therapy

The primary benefit of participating in EMDR therapy is that you will be able to recall painful memories from your past without being retraumatized by your recollections. But that is by no means the only benefit that you can receive.

Depending on your specific circumstances, other potential benefits of EMDR therapy include:

• Developing better stress management and coping skills
• Managing urges to use alcohol or other drugs
• Better understanding the issues that contributed to your substance abuse problems
• Easing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions
• Regulating your emotions more effectively
• Making healthier contributions to your relationships
• Improving your confidence and self-esteem

Our Programs That Offer EMDR Therapy 

At Time Wellness Detox, our primary focus is helping you get through withdrawal safely and as comfortably as possible. This first step prepares you to fully engage in EMDR and other types of therapy during the follow-on phases of your treatment.

Once you’ve successfully completed detox, EMDR therapy may be part of your treatment plan at several levels of care, including:

• Residential program
• Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
• Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
• Outpatient program

To learn more about EMDR therapy in any of these programs, please feel free to contact us at your convenience.

How Effective is EMDR Therapy?

Multiple studies and analyses have documented the effectiveness of EMDR therapy, and several reputable organizations recommend this form of care. For example:

• An April 2016 study in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, which involved 50 participants with multiple sclerosis and PTSD, found that the majority of patients who received EMDR therapy were able to overcome their PTSD symptoms after 10 sessions. 
• A June 2019 review of two meta-analyses and four randomized controlled trials concluded that EMDR therapy “improved PTSD diagnosis, reduced PTSD symptoms, and reduced other trauma-related symptoms.” 
• According to the National Center for PTSD, which is part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), EMDR has “the strongest recommendation for being an effective treatment in most clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of PTSD.”
• A report titled “Guidelines for the Management of Conditions Specifically Related to Stress,” which was published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2013, includes EMDR among the recommended forms of treatment for people with PTSD.

What To Expect in an EMDR Therapy Session

As highlighted in the “How Does EMDR Therapy Work?” section above, the content of a session can vary depending on which phase you have reached.

In general, though, here’s what you should be able to expect from any EMDR therapy session:

• While taking part in EMDR therapy, you will be in a safe environment. While the memories that you are focusing on can be quite painful at times, your therapist will ensure that you feel safe and supported throughout the process. This includes empowering you to stop and take a break if and when you need to.
• EMDR is not a passive experience. Every step of the way – such as when identifying specific memories to address, completing the desensitization and reprocessing steps, and evaluating the previous session, you will be working in active collaboration with your therapist. 
• You’ll be encouraged to ask questions, request clarification, and express your concerns at any point in the process. 
• Before you leave at the end of a session, your therapist will help you return to a safe and grounded state of mind. They will also practice various self-soothing techniques with you, so that you can respond in a healthy manner if you experience any painful emotions before your next session.
• During some sessions, you may feel as though you have made significant progress. In other sessions, the healing you have achieved may not be as evident. It’s important to remember that EMDR takes time, and even small steps will bring you closer to your goal.

Why Time Wellness?

Here are a few of the many reasons why Time Wellness Detox in Arkansas may be the ideal place to begin treatment for an addiction to alcohol or another substance:

• While you’re with us, you will be in a safe and closely supervised environment under the care of a team of experienced and compassionate professionals.
• The members of your treatment team will be familiar with all aspects of the withdrawal process. This can eliminate fear of the unknown and help you maintain your motivation.
• Your detox team will also be prepared to address any contingencies that can threaten your health. The moment you experience any concerning symptoms, they can take immediate action to keep you safe.
• Depending on the nature and severity of your withdrawal symptoms, your treatment team may provide both medical and therapeutic support to help you manage any discomfort. 
• While you’re still in detox, you may be able to participate in therapy sessions to address co-occurring mental health conditions and help you begin to build a framework for successful, long-term recovery.
• We will document your progress, identify areas of ongoing concern, and use this information to recommend the most appropriate types follow-on treatment for you.