How does EMDR work?

Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help.

Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create an overwhelming feeling of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories through bilateral stimulation allowing the memory to become unstuck and normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the lasting symptoms from the original event are resolved.

Analogy: If you break a bone, your bone will heal naturally as our body and brain are wired for healing. If you did not get help from the doctor your body will heal but will have to adjust. You may have to take aspirins, walk on the other leg more. Same thing happens in the brain when your body stores the memory: you may develop lingering feelings of anxiety or depression, or find you are sometimes flooded with the memory. When we revisit the memory with bilateral stimulation it allows your brain to heal the memory and store it properly while reducing the lasting effects. 

 

What does EMDR help with?

We believe that EMDR is a modality that can serve all across ages, symptoms and medical and emotional diagnosis. We believe that most symptoms that you are currently experiencing were once used as a response to survive the traumatic event you were in. EMDR can also be done with children. This program is suited for clients 6 and up. The process for children is more play therapy based and they use different forms of bilateral that is suited for them. Children experience the same benefits as adults do. 

 

How long does EMDR take?

The modality of EMDR is not a quick fix! We emphasize that EMDR is an individualized process, each client needs different things within the treatment of EMDR. The length will also vary depending upon how many memories we are working through, level of awareness in your body, and co-existing diagnosis or symptoms. The 8 phases of EMDR can take a client anywhere from a few months to a few years. Because of this process weekly sessions are highly recommended. It is common for EMDR to take you into childhood memories. You can read more about the 8 phases here. 

 

Why are we going into my past during EMDR sessions?

The EMDR modality uses the AIP (Adaptive Information and Processing) model which states that your brain uses past experiences to help you make sense of the present and predict the future.To find the root of the symptoms in your present day, we track the root of where it was created. This takes a lot of clients in their childhood memories. Each EMDR therapist will handle this differently as there are certain situations where the therapist will adapt the protocol do to time or financial constraints, or what the client is wanting to work on. 

 

I feel like I don’t remember many memories from my past, can I still do it?

This is a very common thing and you can absolutely still do EMDR! We work with what memories you do have, connect them to your body (feelings, sensations) and your body will help us find the rest. The sensations, feelings, and negative beliefs l trigger other memories in what we call a “neural network.” Imagine a tube in your brain, once you go into the tube through one memory (sensation, feeling, belief) you can find other memories that have felt similarly. 

I can’t get in with an EMDR trained therapist yet , what should I do to prepare?

Things you can do with your current therapist or by yourselfing is start to build your emotional vocabulary and connection to your body! When you feel feelings you have the feeling, a thought about the feeling and a physical sensation. Building your connection back to your body is key for EMDR therapy and any trauma work. Questions you can ask: where do I feel this in my body and what is the physical sensation (chest tightness, shallow breathing etc.) Your breathing is a great tool to see that your body is feeling something. If you can’t find an EMDR therapist to work with, seeing a therapist who is trained in ACT, Constructed Awareness, Internal Family System theories, Somatic Experiencing, or any somatic therapy would help prepare you for EMDR. Additionally, the DBT program at Three Oaks is a great resource to start developing skills for deeper work and will sometimes be required by your EMDR therapist in the program if they think it would be beneficial. 

 

Is EMDR covered under my insurance?

Yes, if your insurance plan covers therapy sessions, we can provide EMDR as a psychotherapy intervention. See more about Three Oaks insurance coverage here. Sometimes in the EMDR process it is helpful to do a longer session complete processing of an experience instead of having to pause in the middle. Insurance companies only reimburse one hour of therapy a day; if you and your therapist decide a longer session is useful or warranted, we will bill the insurance rate for the first hour and charge the self-pay rate for the second hour. You can check Three Oaks self-pay rates here. If a sliding scale is needed please contact your EMDR therapist. 

 

What should I do after an EMDR session?

The best thing you can do after an EMDR session is move your body and do an activity you can fully finish that is left brain (logical). This will help close any emotion cycles that are left in the body. Examples can be stretching, walking of any kind, finishing a task on your to-do list. It is common after an EMDR session to experience fatigue and emotionally numbness the following day. EMDR sessions can feel like 6 talk therapy sessions in one hour.

 

I am seeing another therapist, and want to add an EMDR therapist, what should I do?

You always have permission to continue therapy with your current therapist, we know that relationship is sacred. For EMDR, it is recommended to meet with your EMDR therapist weekly to move the process along and so you are not stuck in any memories. This can mean that you are doing two sessions of therapy a week, which can lead to therapy burn out. There are multiple options: you can move down to bi-weekly or one a month with your current therapist, you can transition to your EMDR therapist and then transition back to your current therapist, and some clients will be asked to see an EMDR therapist and a skills based therapist to help with emotional regulation skills depending on amount of memories working on. 

 

A traumatic event just happened in my life, can I do EMDR if I have never done it before?

Yes-EMDR has protocols to handle recent single incident traumas and can help reduce the impact overall.

 

Is EMDR as effective virtually as it is in person?

Yes, EMDR is as effective virtually as it is in person. 

 

*If you are currently experiencing active suicidal or homicidal ideation, EMDR would not be a good fit for you as it is a very intense process. We would encourage you to look into the DBT program at Three Oaks.