Is EMDR Effective For Treating Mental Disorders Other Than PTSD?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR is an interactive physiotherapy technique. It was introduced in 1987. EMDR therapy in the Bay Area treats trauma by changing the way traumatic memories are stored in the brain, helping the individual to safely reprocess the event in a controlled environment. In EMDR, the therapist leads their patient through a series of bilateral eye movements as they recall traumatic memories in small segments.

EMDR is used extensively to treat PTSD. Studies have found that it can help relieve emotional distress after a traumatic event and ease somatic symptoms such as muscle tension or pain. EMDR works effectively for mental disorders that manifest as a reaction to trauma. Because EMDR works to target isolated events both from the past and feared in the future, the client can move through specific events or memories at a time. Research shows that EMDR can also help alleviate the symptoms of a number of other mental disorders such as depression, phobias, panic attacks, OCD, complicated grief, anxiety, addiction recovery, and psychosis.

EMDR For Depression

When a person is depressed, their body shuts down emotions and feelings. EMDR treats depression by helping the body achieve an engaged state through bilateral stimulation of the brain. For people with depression, EMDR works to treat underlying traumas, triggers, negative beliefs, and childhood memories that are factors in causing or exacerbating the symptoms of depression.

In a 2015 study, 68% of the participants receiving EMDR therapy reported full remission after treatment. They experienced a significant improvement in their symptoms and reported fewer lapses and depression-related symptoms at follow-up after one year.

EMDR For Phobias

EMDR for phobias works by helping the person work through their memories. It trains the body to identify certain objects or situations that trigger panic attacks as threats and act accordingly. EMDR helps the person bring those initial memories of exposures to the phobia to adaptive resolution through retraining the brain in a safe environment. EMDR is considered brief exposure therapy, which is an effective treatment for phobias.

In a study, 30% of people with phobias were given EMDR therapy. At the end of the study, researchers noted a significant reduction in their symptoms. It was observed that the benefits of EMDR were still significant at follow-up after a year.

EMDR For Panic Attacks And Anxiety

EMDR helps a person live a life free from panic attacks and anxiety by helping the brain process past traumas. A 2017 study concluded that EMDR was just as effective as CBT in alleviating panic disorder symptoms.

This process works by creating an environment in which the person can be safely exposed to the traumatic memories, fears, and negative beliefs that precipitate panic attacks and underlie anxiety. The person learns to challenge the cognitive distortions and develop a new relationship to the event, one that does not cause them distress.

EMDR For OCD

For people who struggle with OCD, obsessive thoughts and fears about the future can overwhelm their life. EMDR works to process fear through targeting the future event or story around the thought. By breaking the fears down into logical sequencing, the individual can unpack their fears in a safe way.

A 2020 trial reported EMDR as equally effective as CBT in treating OCD and its symptoms. Participants in both groups showed improvements, indicating EMDR may be a good alternative treatment for those with OCD that do not respond well to CBT.

EMDR For Complicated Grief

For people who experience long-lasting symptoms of grief accompanied by depression and other symptoms that affect their daily functioning, their grief process could have turned into complicated grief. Complicated grief can often arise from losing a loved one in a traumatic event. For individuals that lose someone in a sudden and devastating way, the grieving process can get halted when the details of the loss were so traumatic.

EMDR helps people to process through complicated grief by addressing the death of their loved one and helping them to address cognitive distortions and those thoughts that are stuck on a loop. EMDR can help someone get out from under the heaviness of complicated grief, and into a place of greater acceptance.

EMDR For Addiction Recovery

Many believe trauma is at the root cause of addiction, or a large component of it. For people in recovery from addiction that want to explore their underlying traumas, EMDR can be a great technique to help reprocess memories that have long been suppressed. EMDR can help someone that is relapse prone as a result of unprocessed and underlying trauma. EMDR is only right for someone in a stable point in their recovery and not in active addiction. This is because bringing up traumas can cause temporary distress, and the client needs to be able to manage this. EMDR is an effective way to treat addiction that arises from PTSD and related symptoms.

EMDR For Psychosis

EMDR helps the brain process hallucinations associated with delusional beliefs about the self and the world. It works to decrease delusions and alleviate other symptoms of psychosis.

A 2020 review of six studies concluded that EMDR may treat psychosis without any adverse effects. In all six studies, participants reported that EMDR eased their symptoms, and they used less medications and mental health services to manage their condition. Some study participants also reported a decrease in hallucinations and feelings of paranoia.

As a leading EMDR therapy clinic in the Bay Area, the team at Calm Again Counseling uses EMDR to help their patients struggling with various mental health problems. Thinking about giving EMDR therapy a try? Reach out to the team of professionals at Calm Again Counseling. To make an appointment, call (415) 480-5192.