EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based, highly effective, accelerated, trauma intervention. However, it’s been proven effective in treating a host of issues, including anxiety, depression, addictive behaviors, self-limiting beliefs, OCD, procrastination, and sleep disturbances among others.
Of the tools and resources I offer my clients, EMDR consistently delivers lasting, positive results.
Target Mapping: The EMDR process begins with what’s known as “target mapping.” Target mapping is a more controlled, highly focused, form of talk therapy in which we work to identify both traumatic or distressing incidents related to your current struggles as well as a related core negative belief about self or the world instilled or reinforced by these incidents. In some cases, it’s easier to identify the core negative belief first and attach traumatic or distressing incidents afterward. In other cases, in the course of therapy, it can be easier to detect a pattern related to traumatic incidents that allows us to identify and attach and a core negative belief afterward.
Later in the process, we work to clear trauma around these incidents and negative belief during the active portion of the EMDR process once the prep work has been completed.
Once we’ve identified a core negative belief and attached incidents that still carry some level of distress or trauma, we work to create a more positive, adaptive belief you would RATHER be true to replace the core negative belief.
“Installing” this more adaptive belief is also part of the active process of EMDR once we have sufficiently lowered your distress level connected to the incident attached to the core negative belief we are processing.
Both the more positive, adaptive belief and the core negative belief, need to not only resonate and feel authentic to you but feel accurate and connected to the attached incidents.
Resource Building: Another aspect of prepping for the part of the EMDR process in which we actively work to clear trauma involves identifying or creating positive, calming, content. We can use this content during the active portion of EMDR to help deescalate, contain, and control trauma responses in instances in which you feel your distress level, near the end of our session, has not dropped sufficiently enough to ensure that your distress or trauma won’t be intrusive or easily triggered post session.
The Importance of Prep Work: Target mapping and other prep work can take an entire session or several sessions to complete and is crucial to the success of EMDR. Unless we are working to clear trauma around a single incident, we need to identify a core negative belief and attach as many significant traumatic or distressing incidents as possible to that belief. We also need to identify a more positive, adaptive belief that not only resonates with you but represents something you COULD possibly believe to a point significant enought to effect positive change regardless of your belief in that statement at the beginning of the process.
Every time we successfully process an event connected to the same core negative belief, your attachment or level of conviction around that belief weakens. And actively “installing” the positive, adaptive belief after processing each incident strengthens your attachment and level of belief in that statement, further weakening the hold, impact and influence the negative belief formerally had on your life. Over time, the cumulative effect can be life changing.
Once we’ve completed target mapping and other prep work, we are ready to start processing and clearing trauma using what is known as “bilateral stimulation.”
Bilateral Stimulation: I have you start by calling up the image of the traumatic incident we’ve chosen to process first, specifically the part of the event we’ve identified in advance, which may or may not include emotions and sensations. At the same time, I have you also focus on the attached core negative belief.
I then have you engage in bilateral stimulation while keeping your focus on the incident and core negative belief. Because I practice virtually, bilateral stimulation involves closing your eyes and tapping on alternate knees, following the cadence I set as I tap on my own knees.
(When most people think of EMDR, they imagine following the therapist’s fingers with their eyes, a technique I used when working in person. However, I found many clients preferred knee tapping with closed eyes, even when working in person, as they found it less distracting.)
EMDR engages your entire neural network via bilateral stimulation. By engaging both sides of the body, you engage both sides of your brain to process the thoughts on which you’re focusing. It’s crucial that both hemispheres of the brain are involved in processing trauma and negative beliefs.
The right hemisphere holds trauma largely in the form of images and emotion in areas that make conscious access and control difficult. Via the use of bilateral stimulation (along with intentional focus on traumatic content) we are able to gain access to to the trauma while also enlisting the language and reason of the left hemisphere to aid in processing and clearing this trauma . This allows your entire neural network to give you conscious access to traumatic material along with very old schemas formed during a time when you had fewer coping mechanisms and agency (if we are dealing with a core negative belief formed by childhood trauma) along with the updated tools of the left hemisphere. These consciously updated tools of the left hemisphere allow you to change and update your understanding of your trauma and transform the beliefs they formed and reinforced in ways that are more empowering and adaptive. This results in an improved perspective and more control over the aspects of your life that were previously adversely impacted by this once, largely inaccessible, traumatic content.