Trauma

Imagine living with painful memories that resurface at the most inconvenient times: a casual conversation with a friend, a peaceful moment at home, or even amid an important work or school meeting. Suddenly, you are overwhelmed by emotions you have not had in a while – almost as if the past is replaying itself in your mind. For many of my clients, this was the daily reality of living with unresolved trauma. It can feel like a never-ending cycle, with no clear path forward. I often left these sessions feeling their frustrations, wondering what else I could do to help these clients when they reached a crossroads. This is when I discovered a different path. From Doubt to Discovery When I first heard about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, commonly known as EMDR therapy, I was skeptical. This therapy claimed not only to help alleviate the symptoms of trauma and PTSD, but also to reprocess the traumatic memories themselves, offering a path to deeper healing and resolution. It sounded almost too good to be true. Could a therapeutic approach really change how we experience our past and help us move forward with more peace and clarity? As with any treatment I use, I insisted on experiencing it firsthand before I was comfortable using it with my clients. Therefore, when searching for an internship to complete my master’s degree, I knew I wanted to join a clinic that actively practiced EMDR. By this point, I had written countless papers on trauma, read hundreds of journal articles, and spent hours researching the effectiveness of EMDR. Yet, I still was not convinced. So, with the consent of the client, the clinic allowed me to watch an EMDR session from start to finish, where I was able to observe the incredible progress that occurred. By the end of the session, I was not only confident this could help, but I was excited and hopeful. As I went through the extensive process of becoming EMDR trained, I had the opportunity to experience the treatment from a client perspective. I distinctly remember that at the end of that week, I was lying in bed when I felt like a weight had lifted off my shoulders, but I could not pinpoint why. I brushed it off and went back to bed. It was not until a few weeks later that I realized the true impact of those sessions. When a distressing memory surfaced and no longer triggered the same emotional response or disruption in my thoughts and behaviours, I had my “Aha!” moment. The EMDR sessions had truly made a noticeable difference. So…Why Does it Work? At this point, you may be wondering, “How is this possible?” When I ask clients about trauma, I often hear, “I might have some trauma, but it’s not that big or important.” The truth is, trauma comes in many forms, both big and small. Whether it’s a “big-T” trauma like a major accident or a “small-T” trauma like repeated rejection or hurtful comments, anything that distresses us and leaves a lasting emotional impact can be considered trauma. It is not about the size of the event, but how it affects you. When traumatic memories are not fully processed by the brain, this may lead to intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, and intense emotional responses that replay on an endless loop, leaving us feeling helpless at times. EMDR helps to deal with unprocessed memories by reworking them in our brain, so they have less emotional impact, making it easier to fit these memories into our life story in a healthier, more adaptable way. Since its development in the late 1980s by American psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro, EMDR has gained recognition as an effective approach to treating conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and panic disorders. However, it does not just stop there. EMDR has also been shown to help with areas such as phobias, chronic pain, and grief. Its effectiveness is just as impressive: studies show that 77% of those with multiple traumas no longer experienced PTSD after an average of six 50-minute EMDR therapy sessions (Shapiro, 2014). Bilateral Stimulation: A Balancing Act I sometimes hear clients tell me that they have tried therapy over and over, and it just does not work for them – the memories are still triggering, and the distress is still high. This is where I love to introduce EMDR. It is not your traditional talk therapy. Very little talking happens during the reprocessing stages. The therapy takes place over eight phases, including a preparation stage where I ensure clients are provided with coping strategies and skills to feel confident when they leave our sessions. However, a core component of EMDR occurs as we begin to desensitize the memory. Shapiro accidentally discovered the core idea behind EMDR one day when she was out in nature: bilateral stimulation. This can be achieved through rapid eye movements (REM), which mimic the REM that occur during sleep and help two parts of the brain work together to process information more adaptively. However, there are alternative methods, such as tapping, buzzers, or auditory signals in each ear that achieve similar results. I find some of my clients who are neurodivergent tend to prefer these methods instead, which allows them to use the most appropriate tool for their reprocessing. Once a client reaches the reprocessing stage, I help them recall specific distressing memories and any negative beliefs they hold about themselves. We also focus on the positive beliefs they want to adopt. Throughout this process, I guide them through their chosen method of bilateral stimulation, which we would have already discussed and tested in earlier sessions. In a nutshell, this process allows the brain to “digest” the traumatic memory, desensitizing the client to its emotional impact and facilitating a healthier, more adaptive understanding of the event and belief. Adaptive is the key word here: we cannot change memories, but through bilateral stimulation and reprocessing, we can alter the way