EMDR therapy is a psychotherapeutic method for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of EMDR therapy is to stimulate and support the processing of trauma or anxiety. EMDR therapy is also used to treat other mental illnesses such as pain disorders or anxiety disorders.
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EMDR therapy is a young but now well-established psychotherapeutic method. The form of therapy was developed by the American psychologist Francine Shapiro. She observed that horizontal, saccadic eye movements have a relieving effect.
The full name of EMDR is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Literally translated, this means "eye movement desensitization and reprocessing" (of information). EMDR therapy was developed for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD). However, it has much more potential than this.
PTSD is a mental illness that occurs in some people after experiencing a threatening situation. They are mentally transported back to the situation they experienced and relive it. This is often accompanied by panic attacks and anxiety dreams. PTSD can have a severe impact on everyday life.
The neurological mechanisms of PTSD have not yet been sufficiently researched. However, it is assumed that the brain of those affected is unable to process and store the experience correctly. It is therefore referred to as a dysfunctionally stored memory.
The EMDR method stimulates the brain to process the traumatic experiences correctly. As soon as the brain can "file away" the situation suffered, the person affected can lead a normal life again.
In the therapy sessions, the patient thinks about the stressful situation, prompted by the therapist. The therapist then asks the patient to follow his finger movements with his eyes. The eye movements stimulate the brain to process what has happened.
The brain normally processes stressful experiences. You learn from experiences, you develop further. Even psychologically stressful experiences no longer affect mental stability after a certain period of time. It is said that time heals all wounds.
Under certain circumstances, this ability to process comes to a standstill. The memory therefore continues to exist for the affected person in its raw, emotionally charged form.
The PTSD disorder and its symptoms are therefore a reaction to an experience. The logical therapeutic approach is to reprocess the maladapted stored information.
The ideal approach here is processing in the EMDR process. This allows an accelerated reprocessing of the harmful memory to take place.
The memory loses its recurring and emotionally charged character. It can become a 'normal' memory of a bad event. This usually improves the patient's symptoms.
In 1989, the behavioral therapist Francine Shapiro reported on her observations of the relieving effect of eye movements.
She initiated a systematic trial with test subjects and then PTSD patients. She initially assumed that the eye movements resulted in desensitization. In other words, the patients no longer seemed to react as strongly to the stressful memories. Shapiro therefore called the method Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD).
With increasing experience, however, it quickly became clear that this therapeutic process is not pure desensitization. It is more of a reprocessing, i.e. a reprocessing of memories. Consequently, Shapiro developed EMDR therapy from EMD.
Various treatment plans and techniques are now part of the therapeutic toolbox of EMDR therapy. The treatment plans provide instructions for working with various disorders and are called 'protocols' in EMDR therapy.
The standard EMDR therapy protocol is the treatment plan for simple post-traumatic stress disorder. It guides the therapist to first work on the patient's old traumatic memories. He then deals with the current trauma-related problems. Finally, the therapist looks at the patient's fear of the future.
Protocols are now available for a wide range of psychological disorders. In the treatment of complex disorders, EMDR therapy is often embedded in a comprehensive treatment plan.
EMDR therapy is used in psychotherapeutic sessions to treat PTSD, among other things © Photographee.eu | AdobeStock
EMDR therapy naturally involves taking a good medical history and preparing the patient. The therapist will allow sufficient time for stabilization. In the stabilization phase, EMDR techniques are often used to build up positive material, such as the 'place of power'.
The therapist first supports the patient in selecting the memory to be processed. He then uses specific questions to encourage the patient to activate the memory in a gentle way. This preparation facilitates the subsequent processing of the memory.
The therapist now asks the patient to briefly pay attention to the memory and then follow the finger movements with their eyes. The rapid eye movements are very likely to activate the brain's information processing. The therapist now asks the patient to perform a series of eye movements.
The therapist then asks the patient for brief feedback on their impressions. He then asks the patient to follow the fingers with his eyes again. This alternation is repeated until the perceived stress of the memory has subsided.
The therapist then supports the patient in anchoring a positive thought. Eye movements are also used here. At the end of the EMDR therapy session, the therapist checks whether the patient can end the session with a good physical feeling.
This is followed by a discussion of the experiences during the treatment.
A therapy session can last up to 90 minutes. The patient often finds it exhausting, but also liberating. After a therapy session, patients should give themselves a chance to rest.
At the beginning of the following session, the therapist will ask about any changes since the last session. The therapist will then discuss the next steps with the patient.
The standard EMDR therapy protocol outlines a framework for the therapeutic work. The application of EMDR therapy always requires work in the past.
In the past, the dysfunctionally stored memories are reprocessed.
In the present
starting points for EMDR therapy.
Work in the future serves to change avoidance behavior. The development of alternative behaviors is also the goal of EMDR therapy.
EMDR therapy is a well-researched therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. For the Federal Republic of Germany, recognition by the Scientific Advisory Board for Psychotherapy as an evidence-based treatment method for PTSD in adults is important. Recognition for the treatment of PTSD in children and adolescents is still pending.
A prerequisite for EMDR therapy is the identification of the traumatic memories that trigger the symptoms. This is the only way to work on this cause and resolve the anxiety disorders and other impairments. The connection between the remembered situation and the symptoms is not always easy to recognize. Hypothesis-driven attempts can therefore also fail.
The dysfunctionally stored memory can, for example, be the memory of
can be. The starting point can be chosen flexibly. Ultimately, treatment with EMDR therapy is always characterized by
characterized by alternating focus and stimulation.
EMDR therapy is used for chronic and complex PTSD as well as acute traumatization. Publications also suggest an effect on
suggest. One publication reports positive results in patients with schizophrenic psychoses.
Theprerequisite for treatment with EMDR therapy is
In case of
EMDR therapy cannot be used.
Ultimately, clarification is necessary in consultation with a well-trained therapist.
In addition to the central work on inadequately processed memories, EMDR therapy also offers other possibilities. These include techniques to strengthen resources such as the absorption technique or position of power.
Two elements are always used: focusing and stimulation. Focusing means that the therapist helps the patient
The patient follows the therapist's fingers with their eyes. The therapist now adds bilateral stimulation, usually through eye movements.
Even if the type of stimulation differs, for example in terms of speed, the basic principle remains the same: EMDR therapy is characterized by focusing on memory material and bilateral alternating stimulation.
EMDR therapy is a very effective method. However, it requires
The quality of training in EMDR therapy is monitored by the national professional association EMDRIA Deutschland e.V. and the European professional association EMDREA.
The quality of the therapists is assured by a certification process of the professional association. If a therapist holds the 'EMDR therapist EMDRIA Germany' certificate, they have completed a controlled training course at a recognized training institute with self-awareness and supervision.
Recent EEG recordings during a therapy session appear to support the information processing hypothesis. Various studies show a profound normalization at the hormonal and neurophysiological level in PTSD patients.
Treatment with EMDR therapy appears to influence the traces of trauma that lie deep in the body.
