EMDR and The Body
WHAT IS EMDR?
EMDR is a form of psychotherapy which can be extremely effective in healing a range of symptoms of emotional distress from trauma caused by disturbing life experiences and relationships. EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. There are 8 phases to EMDR treatment that can be executed in a variety of formats.
When the Past Shows Up in the Present
Present hurts can sometimes trigger past trauma. Often when a young person experiences a physical or emotional trauma, that they aren't able to safely share or process, they can create an inner narrative that mirrors the way they feel they are being treated -" I'm not important", "no one wants me", "I don't matter." If this narrative gets compounded rather than interrupted over time, this becomes a belief system. EMDR is a tool that can help address past trauma and rewrite the erroneous narrative(s) that was never true to begin with.
It's Ok to Fall Down
For example, imagine a parent and young child are at a playground. If the child falls, the parent may choose to:
• pause for a moment and allow the child to struggle a bit to recover
• ask the child if he or she is alright
• affirm to the child that they did a good job playing and getting up from a fall
• show empathy
• normalize falling down and experiencing pain
• plant the seed that they can handle discomfort
If this sort of experience repeats over time as a child grows up, they often internalize this narrative, developing a positive sense of self.
Messaging Matters
If the parent coddles too much, the child may grow up thinking they can’t handle anything or that perhaps they aren’t good enough or strong enough. Alternatively, if the parent ignores the fallen child, the child may feel ignored. They may sense that no one cares about them or that they aren’t lovable enough or good enough. These are just two of many possible narrative scenarios.
Seeking Relief
And, depending on the degree of physical or emotional pain, present day hurts may trigger memories of that moment and that narrative from when they were young. In fact, their response in the present day becomes bigger, become compounded. These sorts of negative self-narratives can lead one vulnerable to seeking relief in drugs and alcohol.
EMDR & Recovery
Attachment-focused EMDR can help heal this kind of relational trauma that can result in harmful relationships with substances. We work with clients to identify triggers in the present that are linked to experience(s) from the past. In weekly or Intensive EMDR therapy sessions, we support clients to process unresolved events from their past that are providing the original fuel for the reaction in the present. We support clients to achieve and/or maintain recovery by keeping the past in the past and reinforcing the choices and agency that is present in their recovery.
