Er, is that a ‘shortcut’ to enhance one’s mood…? Well, it certainly can enhance one’s mood, though it may take a while.Eye Movement
Desensitisation and Reprocessing -“EMDR”- helps us move on from specific identified past traumatic events such as abuse (all forms), violence and accidents (witnessing or being in), bereavements and eating disorders. Also from longstanding senses of fearfulness, unease, imbalance, low self-confidence or sluggishness. ‘General stuff from the past we can’t seem to shake off’.
It does so by desensitising us from the conscious, unconscious and body reactions to disturbing memories as we increasingly observe rather than relive them. The technique then reprocesses our beliefs about them and stores them away in our brains so any thoughts, images, sensory reminders and flashbacks do not disturb us in the present.
To quote a famous advert, it does what it says on the tin!
EMDR originated in the late 1980’s, when psychology student Francine Shapiro noticed her past disturbing thoughts lost much of their impact when her eyes flickered whilst looking at moving leaves on trees. Her initial research findings were met with much scepticism.
However, the technique became more accepted as a treatment for trauma after research and fine tuning, particularly with Vietnam veterans and people who witnessed the Oklahoma bombings in 1995. These individuals, haunted by the unimaginable horrors they had witnessed, demonstrated improved, and measurable, wellbeing after sessions.
So, what is the science around this? Our short term memories are processed and “filed away” in the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for forming and organising memories. This area also connects sensations and emotions with these memories and enables us to recall emotional memories in a controlled way. We choose when and how to recall them.
Without this processing, disturbing or traumatic memories may not be “filed away” and can be recalled uncontrollably by a thought or external trigger. This causes us to feel very emotionally disturbed in the present.
This natural processing occurs during deep “Rapid Eye Movement” (REM) sleep when our eyeballs move from left to right and back again many times. During EMDR sessions, these movements are replicated by following a finger, lights/sounds or by alternate shoulder tapping. The method used is guided by what the client finds most suitable and effective with changes in thinking and feeling measured after each cycle.
Before starting a course of sessions it is helpful to create a sense of safety, as stated in past articles – if we feel safe now, past traumas can be less affecting. Knowing this builds the courage to gently prize open that trauma box many of us keep locked away.
Downsides to EMDR? It can be less effective for deep rooted personality disturbances such as paranoia, psychoses and schizophrenia. Also, it also does not seem to work for everyone – we are after all wired very uniquely. Sessions themselves can often bring out a torrent of emotion which can feel overwhelming (though these are manged sensitively and reassuringly by the therapist).
Tears, tiredness, relief and feeling free from burden are a good signs of progress. As is a calmer, more positive and forward looking view on life.