How Does EMDR Therapy Work?

EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy treatment designed to alleviate stress associated with traumatic events and memories. The process changes how your brain is wired, similar to what happens while you are in the REM state of sleep. This can allow the person doing EMDR treatment here in San Francisco to incorporate and process trauma and allow the person to integrate the memories within their life experience.

What is EMDR Therapy?

Unlike traditional talk therapy and other psychotherapy modalities, EMDR is based more on mindfulness; however, that is not all it is. It was created from the AIP (adaptive information processing) model, originally developed from clinical observation. EMDR can work faster than other forms of therapy and has roots in the “classical conditioning” models of neuropsychological processing. 

Typically our brains store memories associated with smells, emotions, images, and sounds. The brain can be changed because of its neuroplasticity, and EMDR therapy can help retrain the brain’s association with emotions, smells, images, and sounds. It works by stimulating the brain in a way to process unhealed or unprocessed memories, which leads to a natural restoration. During the therapy, there is a desensitization (a decreased emotional charge, the “D” in EMDR) and then a reprocessing to positive memory networks (the “R” in EMDR). 

What Happens During EMDR Therapy?

During an EMDR treatment session, the person will be triggered to hold a disturbing experience in their mind by the EMDR therapist conducting the session. The person is instructed to perform bilateral ocular oscillations while thinking of this memory. Over time, this helps to lessen the emotional charge of the memory while reprocessing how the memory is stored in the body and mind. Our minds can naturally process what happens to us in a healthy and adaptive way. Sometimes past trauma can alter the way the brain processes, and the perceptions can be stored in the brain, inflicting traumatic events or memories to be revealed over and over. Our EMDR therapy in San Francisco can help encourage the body and brain to process past trauma much healthier. 

The body has an innate ability to heal itself when given the proper tools, and the mind isn’t excluded from that. When EMDR therapy is used to process trauma, the mind can start to heal naturally by activating its AIP. When you do a session, the EMDR therapist may use imagery and visualization to help cultivate wisdom, power, and compassion. EMDR helps clients notice what they are feeling and experiencing as transitory events, not fixed traits. 

Is EMDR An Effective Treatment?

Rooted in nonjudgmental awareness and mindfulness, EMDR therapy can be the beginning of a transformative healing journey. After a successful session, trauma survivors can learn to approach situations healthily while exercising appropriate caution. Integrating traumatic memories into memory networks that serve the person in their current life can help to remove the emotional disturbance from the body and the brain. 

Try EMDR With a Therapist

If you’ve been considering doing EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) treatment in San Francisco, a trained therapist at Calm Again Counseling would love to assist you on your healing journey. We enjoy serving our clients in Oakland and the Bay Area. Take the first step in living your best life by calling our office to schedule your first appointment today!