How EMDR Can Help You Become “Unstuck”
How EMDR Can Help You Become “Unstuck”
Sometimes people telling us to just get over it or being told we should let it go is not the most helpful. Actually those two keywords can do more harm than good making us feel they should fix what we are feeling. The reality is that for many people “just” and “should” does not change that we experienced something that is impacting us. Sometimes we can see how these experiences are impacting our current life and other times we may notice that our reactions to things today are more charged than they “should” be.
Well let’s pause and consider who are the “shoulds” in comparison to? Is there a baseline of the “right” way to react? If so, who created this standard? The truth is that your experiences contribute to what you currently deem “right” and “wrong”, therefore creating this standard and how we react. Of course we can unlearn and revise what we observed or were taught but what happens when we still get “stuck” in the impact that experience has had on us, where it is now a detriment to our mental health?
There are some monumental experiences in our life that we may continue to carry and they can begin to manifest in our interpersonal relationships or influence our emotional responses to current life situations. This can be due to how memory has connected the events, which can include somatic experiences or physiological responses. Many times our body is the connection for those memories and we can experience the same emotional and physiological response as we did in the past, even if the one we are currently experiencing is not as charged.
Sometimes even the identification of what experiences may be influencing us in the now, does not alleviate these automatic responses.
So what do we do?
Well one option is a modality of therapy called EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, that involves bilateral stimulation to alleviate traumatic and triggering experiences.
“What?!”
Yes, I know. Simply put EMDR uses the stimulation of both sides of your brain, along with other therapeutic practices, to assist in making past experiences feel less charged so we can get “unstuck” in having those same strong emotional and physiological responses in the present.
“How?”
Many people know our eyes quickly move from left to right as our brain processes information or when we dream, so using similar stimulation, we help the brain reprocess these past experiences so they feel less charged. This process also does not require you to communicate every detail of your trauma. What is most important in the experience is what that memory meant to you and why your emotional response then is showing up to help you cope now.
“Well that seems easy. Sign me up!”
The framework may seem easy and simple, but it can be a difficult experience. It is extremely important to have a strong support system and coping mechanisms in place prior to beginning. Selecting a therapist for EMDR is also an important first step, because they can help assess if this is the best modality for you. We also recommend finding someone that you feel comfortable guiding and grounding you during the process so building rapport is extremely helpful in this experience. We encourage you to have a clear understanding of the process and feel comfortable asking questions, so make sure that your therapist provides psychoeducation and welcomes you to be curious. This is a very simplified explanation of EMDR so if you do your research and get lost in the terms, bringing your questions and concerns to your therapist could be helpful to your process!
Luckily, at Repose, we have several clinicians that are trained in the use and implementation of EMDR. REACH OUT to us and consider exploring the transformative potential of EMDR with a qualified THERAPIST.