Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

[karrie]

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR, is a psychotherapy I was recently introduced to in dealing with some health issues for which my self care had obviously run up against a bit of a 'mind body' disconnect. Typically used to treat PTSD, I was surprised at the quick results I was able to achieve, efeectively recategorizing a major life event and reaching a personal epiphany after only one session. I've been struggling for the words to describe this therapy effectively, and reason to bring it up, but some recent threads on things such as spousal abuse and soldiers committing suicide, have made me think that perhaps it is valuable information to pass along.

The form of therapy that I received was with the eyes closed, and bilateral stimulation to the hands, as my therapist walked through a traumatic event from my past using details supplied in earlier counseling sessions. To my way of thinking it seems to fall somewhere between hypnosis and dreaming.

If you're interested, or know someone who might benefit, please ask questions, I'll answer what I can, or check out the links.

http://www.emdria.org/associations/12049/files/EMDRIA Definition of EMDR.pdf

EMDR Canada: Home

EMDR PTSD

 

[SLM]

Interesting. So because the brain gets stuck on trauma, it's constantly reliving it and producing the responses as if it were actively happening. So this therapy essentially then "moves the memory" I guess (for lack of a better term) so it's no longer being experienced as if it were currently happening. Am I understanding that right?

Basically makes the memory an actual memory in the brain so recollection doesn't produce (or reduces) symptoms associated with the stress of the trauma?

Lol, even if I don't understand it quite right, I'm glad you're having a positive result with it.

 

[karrie]

That's essentially it.

part of the way I look at it too is as if a memory were a topographical map. Your brain gives certain aspects of a memory more precedent than others, making them stand out further than all the rest. You know there is more to the memory than just the part that traumatized you, but all you can focus on is what's standing out, and it becomes the life lesson you take away from that memory.

To use the example of my own experience that worked so well, the incident was a month spent in hospital at the age of eight. Not really a 'trauma', or PTSD incident, but it had changed the way I functioned. I'd had to get repeated surgeries on my scalp... excissions, skin grafts, then plastic surgeries. The medications and operations made me terribly ill, and the pain left me hesitant to move. I went from being an active and enjoying gymnastics to being a lethargic child who knew that moving hurt, and the best way to deal with pain, discomfort, anxiety, loneliness, was what I'd learned in the hospital.... take something, or eat something, turn on the tv.... but the answer was always, consumption, not action.

My brain focused in on the things that were done to make me feel better that fit into that mode... it gave no attention to all the activities they planned for us, to the hours of playing Yahtzee with my mom, to company coming to play cards, etc. The memories focused in almost solely on consumption having been the only way to feel better, and transferred that lesson to my life.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

EMDR, from what I've read about it, seems a bit of a mystery. I'm glad it worked well for you, and clinical studies have shown that it's often useful for PTSD and similar things, but nobody seems to have any idea what's going on, how or why it works. The eye movement part of it doesn't seem to be necessary, it seems to work about the same whether you do that part or not, and it works on the blind as well. The key seems to be motion and touching on alternating sides of the body. The best explanation I've seen for it, which is admittedly speculative, is that it alternately stimulates the brain's left and right hemispheres, but why or how that has a particular therapeutic effect is unknown. The brain's a deeply mysterious thing.

 

[karrie]

EMDR, from what I've read about it, seems a bit of a mystery. I'm glad it worked well for you, and clinical studies have shown that it's often useful for PTSD and similar things, but nobody seems to have any idea what's going on, how or why it works. The eye movement part of it doesn't seem to be necessary, it seems to work about the same whether you do that part or not, and it works on the blind as well. The key seems to be motion and touching on alternating sides of the body. The best explanation I've seen for it, which is admittedly speculative, is that it alternately stimulates the brain's left and right hemispheres, but why or how that has a particular therapeutic effect is unknown. The brain's a deeply mysterious thing.

The way I had it done, the eye movement was completely involuntary. Mine was done with bilateral stimulation (vibrating pads held in each hand), and it was frankly kind of creepy to feel your eyes (which were closed), ticking back and forth of their own free will.

 

[Liberalman]

So your saying this is totally psychological?

 

[gerryh]

So your saying this is totally psychological?

Did you read the article? Did you read what Karrie posted? Are you capable of reading and comprehending?

 

[SLM]

That's essentially it.

part of the way I look at it too is as if a memory were a topographical map. Your brain gives certain aspects of a memory more precedent than others, making them stand out further than all the rest. You know there is more to the memory than just the part that traumatized you, but all you can focus on is what's standing out, and it becomes the life lesson you take away from that memory.

To use the example of my own experience that worked so well, the incident was a month spent in hospital at the age of eight. Not really a 'trauma', or PTSD incident, but it had changed the way I functioned. I'd had to get repeated surgeries on my scalp... excissions, skin grafts, then plastic surgeries. The medications and operations made me terribly ill, and the pain left me hesitant to move. I went from being an active and enjoying gymnastics to being a lethargic child who knew that moving hurt, and the best way to deal with pain, discomfort, anxiety, loneliness, was what I'd learned in the hospital.... take something, or eat something, turn on the tv.... but the answer was always, consumption, not action.

My brain focused in on the things that were done to make me feel better that fit into that mode... it gave no attention to all the activities they planned for us, to the hours of playing Yahtzee with my mom, to company coming to play cards, etc. The memories focused in almost solely on consumption having been the only way to feel better, and transferred that lesson to my life.

You know I honestly find behaviour fascinating. My own as well as other peoples, and I'm really driven to try to understand why I react to things the way that I do. Some things are more obvious than others of course but I do feel like we grow beyond once we truly understand where we are at. That stands for good experiences as well, because we can build on them in this way. Of course with bad or traumatic experiences it's a little easier to see the effect because it's a negative one and therefore makes its easier to study.

It really is very interesting.

EMDR, from what I've read about it, seems a bit of a mystery. I'm glad it worked well for you, and clinical studies have shown that it's often useful for PTSD and similar things, but nobody seems to have any idea what's going on, how or why it works. The eye movement part of it doesn't seem to be necessary, it seems to work about the same whether you do that part or not, and it works on the blind as well. The key seems to be motion and touching on alternating sides of the body. The best explanation I've seen for it, which is admittedly speculative, is that it alternately stimulates the brain's left and right hemispheres, but why or how that has a particular therapeutic effect is unknown. The brain's a deeply mysterious thing.

So could it be actually building new neural pathways then? I am admittedly not a science minded individual but I understand the neural pathways are like a pathway through a forest. You build good clear paths by reinforcing what you've learned and the opposite of course in the case of trauma would be you relive the trauma because the pathway to it is so strong. So building a new pathway to what should be a distant memory (and what will allow you to give it the perspective of a past event instead of a current one) could possibly have the effect of the old traumatic pathway getting overrun with weeds, to keep to the forest analogy.

Also, isn't there some kind of connection with eye movement and memory? Or is that a myth?

 

[Cliffy]

This is very interesting stuff. I can see that it may benefit me as I have residual effects from severe head trauma and many broken body parts. There was also a lot of emotional trauma attached to that accident. Thanks for bringing this up Karrie. I was not aware of it but from what I see here, it may be of personal benefit. I see there are two practitioners over in Vernon, I will be looking into.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

So could it be actually building new neural pathways then?

I'm not sure we know enough about how the brain does what it does to answer that. Logically I'd expect the answer to be yes, learning anything must involve changes in the brain, given that that's where learning occurs, and your analogy of paths makes good sense to me, but I'm sure there's more too. You can't, for instance, learn to swim or play a guitar just by reading about it or watching how it's done, you have to do it yourself. Any kind of learning seems to work better the more parts of yourself you engage in it. You'll retain more information if you take notes while reading, for instance.

Also, isn't there some kind of connection with eye movement and memory? Or is that a myth?

Not that I've ever heard of, but I've no doubt there's a lot of stuff I've never heard of.

 

[petros]

ADHD, Tourettes and OCD have eye twitches and facial tics as symptoms.

 

[L Gilbert]

I heard about this a month or two ago and read about it here: Finger-flash therapy catches on

 

[taxslave]

Hope this works for you Karrie. Does it do any good for FM? My resident expert is curious.
Her readers digest version is that this is much like a current life version of regression therapy.

 

[karrie]

Hope this works for you Karrie. Does it do any good for FM? My resident expert is curious.
Her readers digest version is that this is much like a current life version of regression therapy.

I don't know of anyone using it to try to treat FM. Considering the increasing evidence that FM is a neural disorder, perhaps someone might stumble upon a way to use it for that, but I can't wrap my head around how.