EMDR Therapy With Vibration
EMDR sessions involve your counselor moving their fingers left and right in front of you while you follow with your eyes. Some therapists also use lights or sounds instead of physical movements.
EMDR is not hypnosis and you are always in charge of how far the process will take. At any point if you feel overwhelmed or vulnerable, simply stop.
What is EMDR?
Francine Shapiro, PhD developed EMDR therapy based on her theory that trauma affects how our minds store memories and access them. Because this happens so easily when having flashbacks or experiencing PTSD symptoms, traumatized memories may feel like they’re happening all over again when remembered in flashback form or during PTSD attacks. Through EMDR therapy, this process is altered so it no longer feels like you are reliving an event from your past.
In an EMDR session, your therapist will ask about upsetting or distressing events from your life that are causing emotional disturbance, as well as any positive beliefs which are helping you cope and regulate emotions. This part of the session is known as the assessment phase and typically lasts longer than an average talk therapy session.
After conducting an assessment, your therapist will explain what to expect during an EMDR session and discuss its benefits as well as helping identify targets for treatment. A typical session typically lasts 90 minutes; your therapist may use bilateral stimulation such as hand tapping or auditory tones while you focus on images, negative thoughts and body sensations associated with targeted memories or events; they will then guide you through three stages of EMDR: desensitization, installation and closure.
EMDR therapy remains poorly understood; however, its aim may be to aid your brain’s processing of negative feelings associated with traumatic events and make them less distressful memories. When these memories no longer feel so distressful to you, self-soothing and managing emotions becomes easier.
As it remains unknown exactly how EMDR works, numerous theories exist as to its efficacy and long-term benefits. Many researchers have discovered that it may resemble prolonged exposure therapy – an approach proven successful at treating phobias – while it may also help relieve symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (also referred to as PTSD).
How does EMDR work?
Traumat can leave a person’s brain completely incapacitated; memories remain vivid, triggering intensely negative emotions each time it is brought up again. Through EMDR therapy, these memories can be properly processed.
Therapy can also install positive beliefs to help clients cope with distressful events and feelings that have upset them, thereby decreasing anxiety, increasing self-esteem, and developing more effective coping mechanisms.
At the outset of EMDR therapy sessions, an experienced therapist will take time to get acquainted with their patient and understand their reactions during each step of EMDR. They should be prepared to stop should an emotion-laden situation emerge that becomes overwhelming; remembering traumatic events can bring back many mixed emotions such as fear, stress and even panic – this is all completely normal and an indication that both body and mind are working to heal from such traumas.
Preparation is the initial phase of EMDR therapy and includes discussions between client and therapist to understand why they seek therapy and teaching self-care techniques to manage upsetting emotions or distressing experiences that may surface during its process. They will also cover some basic theory related to EMDR procedures.
Once a therapist is certain that a client can safely participate in therapy, they will ask the client to select an image or scene which best encapsulates the traumatic experience with all its associated emotions and physical sensations. Next, bilateral stimulation (BLS) will be employed. Lights, fingers or tapping on the table may be used by them in this phase – clients are instructed to focus on remembering while BLS occurs and report back their observations back to them; this continues until memories no longer distressing or negative feelings have subsided or faded altogether.
Installation is the final stage, whereby the therapist uses BLS to assist their client in installing their chosen positive cognitive belief until it feels authentic on an inward level. Closure concludes the session and any residual somatic disturbances are identified for further processing.
What are the benefits of EMDR?
EMDR therapy can assist individuals in making sense of events from the past that have caused distress or confusion, relieving anxiety and fear while beginning to form adaptive beliefs, leading to increased sense of self-worth and confidence. Being able to share traumatizing memories with a therapist provides another form of empowerment and ultimately facilitates true healing.
EMDR stands out from traditional counseling approaches because its focus lies in changing traits rather than states (i.e. moving from an anxious state to calm). By helping clients modify their belief systems and take steps towards conquering a challenging trigger such as flying fear or anxiety-inducing noise, this method gives clients courage and support needed for taking on challenging situations head on.
Your therapist will start by helping you explore your trauma through thought and questioning, followed by eye movements, tapping or bilateral stimulation techniques designed to facilitate memory retrieval and stimulate any new images, feelings or sensations that surface from these activities. They’ll pause periodically to check in with you and determine next steps.
This process may be emotionally intensive and it is normal to feel upsetting emotions at times. Your therapist should be supportive and reassuring, working to alleviate any discomfort you might be feeling; they will never push you beyond what feels safe for you in any given session; should you become overwhelmed or unsafe during one, they may encourage you to end the processing session and contact them at a later time when you feel more settled.
Though EMDR can be effective treatment for many mental health disorders, it may not be right for everyone. Individuals who have suffered severe physical or emotional trauma, including sexual abuse, may not be able to complete the process and should consider seeking other counseling strategies instead. In the case of existing conditions that might worsen with EMDR therapy, your therapist will discuss this and suggest alternatives accordingly.
How does EMDR with vibration work?
EMDR was developed as an effective way of helping people process traumas, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Trauma may result from high-stress events like war, natural disasters, car accidents, sexual assault and child abuse; their memories may get stuck in our minds and cause nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of items related to that event, being easily startled or becoming depressed or angry as a result.
An EMDR session requires clients to create an image representing the worst part of a traumatic experience and focus on emotions, negative cognitions and body sensations associated with that image. They may also be asked to pay attention if any new images, thoughts, feelings or sensations arise while processing this traumatic image. Next, their therapist will guide them through bilateral stimulations such as eye movements alternating back and forth or tapping on knees/hands, listening to music or audio tones that alternate left-right etc.
While EMDR is often associated with eye movements, founder Francine Shapiro has stated that any form of bilateral stimulation can help facilitate this therapy. A therapist would use the device to stimulate both sides of the brain simultaneously; allowing an individual to focus on traumatic memories or related sensations as it stimulates both sides simultaneously.
Once a therapist has finished their part of the process, they will stop using stimuli and you will have time to reflect upon what has taken place. Your therapist will then determine your next step based on what has come to light during this phase; typically three to six EMDR sessions should suffice, though individual circumstances can necessitate more or fewer.
EMDR with vibration isn’t the only method available to therapists for conducting sessions, but during the COVID-19 pandemic it has proven particularly helpful as an easy option to provide remote clients. Wireless devices that enable tapping on back of hands or paddles that generate a pulsing sensation offer greater flexibility and comfort, especially when processing painful memories.