Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Treatment, Techniques, and Benefits
Learn about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), including the benefits and use of EMDR to treat PTSD and acute stress disorder in Western MA and the Greater Boston area.
Interview with Jordan Castonguay, LMHC
When someone experiences an intense traumatic event, they will likely suffer from unpleasant and dysfunctional stress following the event.
While cognitive-behavioral therapy can help patients understand and reform their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that resulted from the traumatic event, eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) takes a different approach.
EMDR is a form of psychotherapy for trauma resolution which focuses directly on the patient’s memory of the event, and is intended to change the way the memory is stored in the patient’s brain. Successful EMDR therapy allows the patient to bring the traumatic memory to mind without experiencing distress.
Our trained therapists, working in our offices in Amherst, West Springfield, Wilbraham, Natick, and Franklin, and online throughout Massachusetts are here to help patients heal from traumatic events using EMDR therapy.
To learn more about what EMDR therapy is, what treatment involves, and who can benefit from EMDR therapy, please read on.
What is EMDR?
“EMDR is a form of psychotherapy that is commonly used to treat PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder. The use of bilateral eye movements helps clients to reprocess traumatic life events in order to reduce the negative impact these experiences have had on their overall functioning.”
During EMDR therapy sessions patients are encouraged to call the traumatic memory to mind, while simultaneously experiencing bilateral eye movements. The bilateral eye movements facilitate information processing and integration which help the patient process their traumatic memory.
How does EMDR help patients recover from a traumatic event?
“When someone experiences a traumatic life event, their memory of that event does not get fully processed into their long term memory. The emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and physical sensations from the event stay stuck in their short term memory, which can lead to the development of PTSD and other trauma-related disorders.”
-Jordan Castonguay, LMHC and EMDR Therapist at HBH
Who Can Benefit From EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy can help children and adults of all ages recover from the following challenges:
- Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
- Chronic illness and medical issues
- Depression
- Dissociative disorders
- Eating disorders
- Grief and loss
- Sexual assault
- Sleep disturbances
- Substance use disorder and addiction
- Violence and abuse
- PTSD and other stress-related issues
- Personality disorders
- Performance anxiety
- Pain
How Long Does EMDR Therapy Last?
An EMDR session will typically last between 60-90 minutes, depending on the length of treatment and the amount of trauma the patient has endured.
“I’ll usually spend at least a few months working on the preparation phase of EMDR with a client. I want to make sure they can effectively manage their distressing symptoms before confronting their trauma more directly in the following phases.”
-Jordan Castonguay, LMHC and EMDR Therapist at HBH
What Does an EMDR Therapy Session Involve?
EMDR Therapy involves an eight-phase treatment method. The phases are broken up into history taking, client preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and evaluating the progress of treatment.
“The overall goal of EMDR therapy is to help clients reprocess and develop new insights about the traumatic events they have endured. In the end clients should be able to think about these events without experiencing any form of distress.”
-Jordan Castonguay, LMHC and EMDR Therapist at HBH
The eight-phase treatment method involves:
- History taking: The client and therapist work together to get a full history for the client and identify a particular memory to target, as well as current triggers and future goals.
- Client preparation: The therapist prepares the client for treatment by explaining what treatment will involve, and how treatment will help the client safely process their memories.
- Assessment: The therapist asks the client to identify and assess the memory on a cognitive, affective, behavioral, and physiological level. Rapid Eye Movement, or REM action, helps the client re-process their traumatic memory.
- Desensitization: The client is asked to focus on the memory and hold it in mind while using their eyes to track the therapist’s hands as they move back and forth across the client’s field of vision. The client then reports whatever new thoughts have emerged. The process continues until the memory is no longer distressing to the client.
- Installation: Installation strengthens the preferred positive cognition.
- Body scan: Clients are asked to observe their physical response while thinking about the traumatic event and the positive cognition, and identify any leftover distress.
- Closure: Closure is used to end the session. If the memory was not fully processed in the session, the therapist will offer the client specific instructions and techniques.
- Re-evaluation: The therapist evaluates the client’s current psychological state and what affect the treatment has had. Additional memories might be targeted or continued focus on the previous memory might be necessary.
“During EMDR therapy, I’ll use the subjective units of distress scale (SUDS) to measure the client’s level of distress as they are reprocessing each memory. If the client reports being at a zero on the scale that means they are able to think about the memory without experiencing any distress.”
-Jordan Castonguay, LMHC and EMDR Therapist at HBH
The take-away:
EMDR therapy is a well-established and effective type of psychotherapy used to relieve psychological distress. If you would like to learn more about EMDR therapy please contact us today at (413) 343-4357.
About The Author
Nettie Hoagland
