What Is EMDR Therapy? How It Works and What to Expect During Treatment
You've probably heard of EMDR therapy by now. Maybe your therapist recommended it, someone you know found it helpful, or you've been searching for ways to work through an experience that still affects you years later. You may have also heard that EMDR involves following a therapist's fingers with your eyes, tapping back and forth, or thinking about a traumatic memory while something moves across a screen. Understandably, this can sound a little unusual if you've never experienced it before.
EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a structured form of psychotherapy developed to help people work through distressing memories and experiences. Although the eye movements often receive the most attention, they are only one part of a much larger treatment process. EMDR involves understanding how past experiences continue to affect your thoughts, emotions, physical reactions, and beliefs about yourself. It is also an evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), supported by decades of clinical research.
At Fairfax Therapy Group, EMDR is one of several trauma-focused treatments used to help people address experiences that continue to interfere with their lives. Understanding what happens during treatment can make it easier to decide whether EMDR is something you would like to explore.
Why Can a Traumatic Memory Still Affect You Years Later?
One of the more confusing aspects of trauma is that knowing something happened in the past does not always prevent your body from reacting as though it is happening again. You might understand that you are no longer in danger but still experience a racing heart when someone raises their voice. A particular smell, location, facial expression, or tone of voice might bring up a sudden feeling of fear or shame. Sometimes people cannot immediately identify what triggered the reaction, which can make the experience even more unsettling.
Consider someone who was involved in a serious car accident several years ago. They may understand that driving is generally safe and even feel comfortable discussing the accident with another person. Yet when they hear tires screech or find themselves approaching a similar intersection, their body reacts before they have time to think through what is happening. Their heart races, their muscles tense, and they experience an intense urge to escape. The memory is no longer simply information about something that happened; it has become connected to reactions that interfere with everyday life.
Trauma can also influence what people believe about themselves. Someone who experienced childhood abuse may intellectually recognize that they were not responsible for another person's behavior while continuing to feel intense shame.
