EMDR: Is It For Everyone?
Mindy and I are both EMDRIA approved EMDR therapists and we believe it’s a therapeutic tool that everyone can benefit from.
When we first got married, Mindy had a terrible fear of roaches. Throughout the months of dating and engagement I thought this fear was “silly” or “dramatic.” Sadly, I dismissed Mindy’s fear as “not that big of a deal.”
It wasn’t until we had settled into our first home, after marriage, that the severity of Mindy’s anxiety around these creatures became clear to me. It was actually an impairment not only to Mindy’s own daily functioning, but also to our marital bliss! For instance, after a long weekend away, we would pull into the driveway and I would race around the house before Mindy could come inside because I wanted to clear out any “bugs” before she could see them. A roach sighting, I knew, would likely mean no sleep that night. It wasn’t until Mindy received treatment with EMDR for this fear that we ever slept in peace.
Francine Shapiro is the creator of the theory, method, and model of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization (and) Reprocessing). It became popular in the 1990s and is now one of the most well-researched scientific models for treating human trauma of all types, as well as the psycopathologies informed by trauma (Anxiety, Addiction, Phobias, PTSD, Emotional Reactivity).
Here’s what the treatment entails: EMDR therapists often use a small machine to create Bi-Lateral Stimulation in your brain during the counseling session. This brain stimulation can be done via sight (follow a blinking light), sound (listen to a beep), and/or touch (hold a buzzing device), As your brain is stimulated, the therapist will ask you to remember the trauma or distressing image (roaches). This can seem mysterious, like “nothing is happening,” until you realize that the treatment is merely mimicking the God-created ability of your own human body to process and therefore release emotions, thoughts, and body sensations that have become trapped inside. (By the way, I love how Peter Levine describes this process in both humans and animals in his book, Waking the Tiger. Check it out.)
The result of EMDR treatment is that you become free to remember without overreaction. You become able to see the roach and respond accordingly, for instance, without losing sleep. Of course, phobias like Mindy’s are only one example of what EMDR can treat. You can recall the car wreck you witnessed in the 4th grade, without bursting into tears, or the abuse you suffered as a child without dissociating. You can picture that upcoming work meeting without feeling paralyzed from anxiety. Your brain, body, and emotions are finally back in sync around the previously distressing object of trauma. Certainly, scary things are still scary, and sad things are still sad, but they no longer have the ability to hinder your otherwise healthy functioning.
My own story of trauma differs from Mindy’s in that it includes not so much a singular event but years of ongoing distress at home, school, and work. I didn’t have the emotional and relational tools to tackle normal life events and this often led to overreactive emotions that hindered my own happiness and functioning, as well as my relationships.
Mindy and I had been married for about 7 years when I first received EMDR treatments. After my EMDR treatment, Mindy said to our therapist, “Josh is like a different person! He’s calmer, less sensitive, less reactive. This has created a new sense of safety for intimacy in our relationship.” While I could definitely feel this shift in myself, I was profoundly encouraged to know that my spouse noticed it as well.
Does everyone NEED EMDR? No. But everyone will BENEFIT from EMDR treatment. Whether you are struggling to deal with a past traumatic event, or a long history of emotional challenges; whether you are deathly afraid of flying or merely wanting to conquer your fear of roaches, this treatment is a gift from God that frees us up to love and serve Him with our whole selves.