Should I try EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been around for quite some time now, starting in the late 80s. It has become more popular now as the public acceptance of PTSD and Complex PTSD is improving. The mechanisms by which it works are claimed to not be fully understood. One could speculate that the movement of fingers or a lightbar back and forth repeatedly is not dissimilar to a pendulating stopwatch. Quite possibly, EMDR involves a low intensity hypnosis that leaves you in a mostly conscious state. This hypnotic effect impedes the conditioned responses that a history of trauma would normally evoke when triggered and allows a moment for a more adaptive response to take the place of the conditioned response. Fun fact, hypnosis was a common treatment for PTSD in the late 19th century. It is still used by some practitioners and training for clinical hypnotherapy remains accessible through national organizations in the United States.

The model that EMDR follows is called the Adaptive Information Processing model. They posit that when exposed to triggering material while EMDR is performed, more adaptive responses will take the place of the traumatic ones. This results in more rapid recovery than traditional talk therapy as it incorporates exposure therapy, hypnosis, and the support of an empathic therapist.  I will explain the mechanisms of trauma recovery via talk therapy in another post later.

If you would like to try EMDR, simply book an appointment with Alexis Bray, Melissa Hutzell, Gabriel Tijerina, or Adam Marchiorello.