Initiated Survivor

EMDR

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Rounding out our mini-series on different therapeutic interventions is EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's one of the more popular intervention methods due to the vast amount of evidence proving its effectiveness. It was originally designed by Dr. Francine Shapiro, who had a distressing memory come up one day while walking in the park and calmed herself down by rapidly moving her eyes between two lights in front of her. She studied this experience, coming up with the theory that bilateral stimulation of the left/right hemispheres in the brain helped process trauma into the mind's long term memory. After repeated success, she created EMDR so others could learn the method and implement it with their clients. In this episode, I will guide you through the reason behind EMDR's success in tackling trauma, what a session that uses EMDR would be like, and the resources/skills that EMDR develops in clients.

Topics/Triggers:

  • How trauma memory is timeless, highly emotional, and stored in the emotional side of the brain — the right hemisphere
  • How EMDR processes trauma memory into the long term in order to help our brains store it in the grander narrative of our lives
  • The symptoms of trauma, including Intrusive Memories, Hyperarousal, Anxiety Activation, Worry, Avoidance, Disassociation, Numbing, PTSD, and Depression
  • Different therapeutic interventions, including Prolonged Exposure, DBT, Somatic Experiencing, and EMDR
  • The exposure element of EMDR and why it differs from other intervention methods
  • A step-by-step walkthrough of an EMDR session
  • Why EMDR has a low rate of retraumatization post-session
  • The window of tolerance
  • EMDR Resources and Skills
  • Attachment-based EMDR, as created by Laurel Parnell 
  • Using Archetypal Experiences, Places, or Figures to find peace
  • Why we should use animals/people/fictional characters that are nurturing, protective, and wise as resources instead of our family members/partners
  • My personal experience with EMDR

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    If you or anyone you know is suffering through trauma contact the National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or online for 24/7 support. (This podcast is not a replacement for psychotherapy or mental health care. You can obtain a referral for mental health care provider from your primary care physician, or search on Psychology Today’s Find a Therapist directory)

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    Initiated SurvivorBy Kelsey Harper
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