Top Rated San Diego EMDR Therapist Allison Barton

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy works by asking the person to recall a painful memory while following back and forth eye movements from the clinician. If someone is not comfortable with bilateral eye movements, other forms of bilateral stimulation can be used (bilateral tapping, bilateral audio, or bilateral drawing). This technique helps your brain desensitize the incident you're processing through, whether you're working through PTSD or core wounds you've experienced in your life. Your brain then reprocesses the painful memory, kind of life cleaning out an old wound that was infected. 

The bilateral stimulation allows people to remain grounded in the present moment while working through distressing or traumatic incidents. This aids in healing traumatic experiences because clients experience safety while reprocessing difficult events in their history. Overtime, the emotional charge related to the painful memory fades so the incident doesn’t feel as painful or triggering in daily life.

After coping mechanisms are in place and traumatic incidents have been identified, a typical EMDR session consists of the client and therapist agreeing on a memory/incident to process in that session. The client will allow distressing feelings to arise while using bilateral stimulation, which gradually allow the brain to let go of distressing feelings. Then, the therapist and client work on installing a more positive belief.

• People who struggle with emotional regulation: If someone lacks coping skills or has severe emotional dysregulation, EMDR will feel overwhelming and will not be helpful. Lots of preparatory work can be done for these people if they want to utilize EMDR therapy.

• People experiencing severe mental health issues, including dissociation or psychosis: Participating in EMDR requires a person to be able to differentiate between reality and their memories/thoughts. Those prone to dissociating are not ideal candidates for this type of therapy.

• Neurological Conditions or Seizure Disorders: Some people with neurological conditions or seizures may need to consult with their doctor before participating in EMDR therapy.

• People who aren’t ready to process trauma: Not everyone is ready to process their trauma, and that’s okay! If you’re not ready, this modality might feel too intense for you and is not aligned with your current goals.

• People experiencing mental health crises: EMDR may not be appropriate if you are experiencing a crisis and need stabilization skills. However, you could utilize the modality with a clinician once your crisis has stabilized and you're ready to work on deeper mental health issues.

The American Psychiatric Association has reported that 75% of people who attend traditional talk therapy receive some benefit. One study showed that as little as one session of EMDR led to reduced stress in follow up sessions. Another study showed that as little as 3 EMDR sessions led to 84% remission in those experiencing post traumatic stress disorder. These findings suggest that EMDR is more effective than traditional talk therapy.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing has been shown to be equally as effective virtually as it is in person. People who participate in EMDR virtually report the same decrease in emotional distress as the people I work with in person. Many studies have shown that EMDR therapy is quicker and more effective than Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Several other studies have shown that EMDR rapidly decreases vividness of disturbing memories/images and reduces negative emotions quickly.  EMDR therapy can be done in as little as 6-12 sessions for a single incident.