When it comes to healing from trauma, it can feel daunting, exhausting, and impossible. Due to the long-lasting scars that trauma can leave, it can deeply impact an individual’s mental and emotional well-being. Complicated trauma, also known as complex trauma, results from a prolonged experience to traumatic events. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic approach that has gained in popularity due to its ability to help individuals heal and recover from trauma.
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Understanding Complicated Trauma
Unlike single-incident trauma, complicated trauma involves multiple, repeated traumatic events, such as childhood abuse, domestic violence, or severe neglect. Complex trauma tends to lead to a wide variety of symptoms, including anxiety, depression, dissociation, and difficulties within interpersonal relationships. Because of its severity, traditional therapeutic approaches may not have the ability to address the complex layers of this trauma, which is why methods like EMDR become a necessity.
What Is EMDR?
EMDR therapy involves a series of structured sessions that are aimed to help process trauma memories. When we experience trauma, our brains can inadequately store these memories in our brains, causing a lot of distress and emotional turmoil throughout our lives. During these sessions, a client will try to remember a traumatic memory while simultaneously engaging in a specific eye movement exercise. The goal of this therapy is to help the individual desensitize to the memory, and reprocess it in a more helpful way. In relation to complex trauma, EMDR can help the impact of these traumatic memories.
The 8 Phases of EMDR Therapy
- History and Treatment Planning: To start, your therapist gathers a comprehensive history of your experiences, and will develop a treatment plan based around your needs. This helps your therapist understand the nature of the trauma and its impact on you.
- Preparation: Your therapist will take time to explain the process of EMDR to you, establishing trust and safety. Coping and relaxation skills, like deep breathing and visualization, are introduced.
- Assessment: The specific trauma memory will be targeted. You will be asked to focus on the most distressing part of the memory to allow your therapist to assess the physical sensations and negative thought processes.
- Desensitization: You will focus once again on the memory while following your therapist’s hand movements or other forms of stimulation. This step is done multiple times until the memory becomes less intense. This can be done for multiple trauma memories.
- Installation: Negative thoughts and beliefs surrounding the trauma are then replaced with positive ones. The goal is to help you implement positive thoughts and beliefs about your personal qualities and strengths.
- Body Scan: You will focus on any left over physical tension in your body. Desensitization will then help with any remaining stress.
- Closure: Your therapist will check in with you to ensure you feel safe and secure. Techniques for calming and stabilization will be given to practice outside of session.
- Reevaluation: Your therapist assesses your progress, and you can identify new targets as needed.
How EMDR Facilitates Healing
Reprocessing
EMDR helps the brain rewire how it perceives the trauma memory. In doing so, you can relieve their physical and emotional symptoms that come with the memory.
Empowerment
This process empowers you to take control of their healing and overcome your trauma. Moving forward, you can give themselves kindness and understanding.
Emotional Regulation
Complex trauma disrupts your ability to regulate and cope with difficult emotions. EMDR provides you with tools and resources to calm your reactions when a traumatic memory resurfaces.
Improving Relationships
The impact that trauma can have on interpersonal relationships is damaging. By utilizing the techniques of EMDR, you may find yourself being able to connect, trust, and communicate with others better.
If you believe that EMDR is an approach that can benefit you, do some research on properly trained mental health professionals, and schedule a consultation today!
