As the new year approaches, you might be one of the many people who ponder around this time of year whether they want to try therapy. When thinking about starting therapy, whether you’re a first timer or a regular, it is wise to consider what your goals are now and what type of therapy might help you meet those goals. If you don’t identify as having experienced anything traumatic or as having PTSD, your tendency might be to discount EMDR therapy as a potential treatment option for you.  

In this blog post, I will offer more in-depth information about what EMDR is and what it can treat. While EMDR isn’t for everyone, you might be surprised at how applicable in can be to a variety of mental health challenges.

What is EMDR?

EMDR therapy was developed in the late 1980s by Dr. Francine Shapiro. It is based on the premise that symptoms or challenges an individual experiences in the present stem from past disturbing or distressing memories that continue to trigger that individual because they have not been appropriately processed. During EMDR therapy, we seek to identify what the memories underlying present struggles are so that we can process them to resolution to alleviate the impact they are having.

To facilitate this processing, EMDR asks clients to selectively and briefly focus on different aspects of distressing memories while engaging in sets of bilateral stimulation. Bilateral stimulation involves activating both sides of the brain simultaneously through side-to-side eye movements, taps, or audio tones. Through repeated sets of bilateral stimulation, memories start to feel more neutral and less physically and emotionally activating.

EMDR is different from other therapies in that it does not work directly with problematic thoughts, emotions, or behaviors in the present. Rather, it seeks to heal the experiences that are at the root of present challenges so they can resolve on their own.

What EMDR Can Treat

EMDR was originally developed as a treatment for PTSD. However, it is a common misconception that EMDR can only be used to treat trauma and PTSD. Since its creation, EMDR has also been studied in the treatment of anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, depression, grief, addiction, chronic pain/illness, and more. Though we have the most evidence in support of the effectiveness of EMDR in treating PTSD, the research body is growing and promising to support its use across many diagnoses/adverse life experiences.

Further, in my clinical practice I have found EMDR to be very beneficial to clients who hold negative beliefs about themselves, whether those beliefs attach to a specific diagnosis, like depression or PTSD, or not. Common themes in these types of negative beliefs include feeling:

• Inadequate or not good enough

• Less capable or intelligent than other people

• Deeply flawed, unworthy, or unlovable

• Like you are different or don’t belong

• Unimportant or like you don’t matter

If any of these sound familiar, EMDR could be helpful in allowing you to shift away from beliefs that are self-limiting and the source of painful emotions.

To Try or Not to Try?

In summary, EMDR is an evidence-based therapy that can be used to treat many mental health diagnoses as well as more general negative beliefs that may hold you back. So should you give it a try if you’re curious? While you’re the only one who can make that determination, I encourage you to contact me if you’re interested in learning more about how EMDR might be applied in your unique circumstances.