75% of Aussies have experienced a traumatic event in their lives, putting many of us at risk of developing a mental health condition.
Research suggests that more than half of Aussies (59%) experienced at least one personal stressor in the past twelve months. Persistent stress can lead to long-term physical and mental health symptoms, and in some cases, experiences of extreme stress (trauma) can result in mental illness.
Traumatic events can include natural disasters, motor vehicle accidents, assault, or other events like pandemics and difficult childbirth experiences. Additionally, less life-threatening experiences such as childhood bullying, invalidating parenting and moments of embarrassment, can too have an impact in a cumulative and more insidious way.
What is EMDR and what is it used for?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing) therapy is a type of psychological therapy used to successfully help people recover from the negative impacts of trauma.
It is a transdiagnostic treatment (used for multiple diagnoses) and can be used to help people with anxiety disorders, depression, chronic pain, medically unexplainable symptoms, obsessive-compulsive disorder, addictions, and more.
You can read more about EMDR on our website.
How does EMDR work?
Under conditions of extreme stress, sometimes the brain isn’t able to process the traumatic memory properly, preventing it from being filed correctly and resulting in the person reliving the event over and over. The brain remains vigilant to avoid similar situations recurring which can generate, at its worst, can generate symptoms of post-traumatic stress such as flashbacks, nightmares, and panic responses.
EMDR works by helping people to “reprocess” traumatic events while stimulating both sides of the brain, thus helping memories becoming unstuck and reducing associated distress. The brain’s memory systems are accessed using eye movements (similar to those in rapid eye movement or REM sleep), taps, tones, or vibrations.
Beneficial effects can be felt fairly quickly compared to in other therapies, and no “homework” is required.
Is EMDR is right for you?
You may benefit from EMDR if you’ve done therapy before and gained insight into your experiences, but still find yourself reacting in ways that feel automatic or hard to change. In these cases, the difficulty is often not a lack of insight, but that the experience has not been fully processed. Alternatively, you might find it difficult to talk about distressing experiences, and you’re looking for an alternative way. You may find that:
- You understand your triggers, but still feel overwhelmed by them.
- You notice persistent physical responses (e.g. tension, panic,
shutdown). - You feel like certain memories or experiences are difficult to move past.
- You find it difficult to talk about distressing memories and would
prefer an approach that does not require going into detailed
descriptions.
What an EMDR session (60-90 minutes) might look like:
- Identifying a specific traumatic memory and noticing any associated beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations. (You don’t have to recount the entire traumatic event.)
- As you focus on the memory, your therapist will aim to bilaterally activate your brain (that is, activate both sides of the brain). This may involve you watching their finger move back and forth, watching a light bar, holding vibrating tappers/buzzers, or listening to tones for brief periods.
- The therapist will periodically stop this bilateral stimulation to check in with your thoughts and feelings.
- The memory will gradually lose its emotional charge and its ability to provoke anxiety or distress will diminish. You won’t forget what happened, but the associated feelings will lessen. (This may happen over one or multiple sessions.)
