EMDR: What if You Can't Remember Trauma?

Acronyms. The therapy world is full of them.

AIP (Adaptive Information Processing)

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy)

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention)

MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy)

Those aren't even half of the different acronyms mixed into the therapy world. All of the different abbreviations can be difficult to remember what they mean, what they are, or what they're for. Do you know what can also be hard to remember? Trauma. You're probably wondering: How can a therapist help you if you don't exactly remember your trauma?

Let's look into Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and why it's a great option for those who can't remember all the details surrounding the trauma they experienced.

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR Therapy is an effective treatment technique that is commonly used for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as other disorders like anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and trauma. The overall goal of EMDR therapy is to help you heal from trauma and other stressful life events.

How Does EMDR Therapy Work?

One of the most favorable parts of EMDR therapy is that little to no talking is required. Instead of talking, the session focuses on thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that are present from the trauma. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing involves moving your eyes during a session and focusing on different points in order to reprocess any negative memories associated with the trauma. During an EMDR therapy session, memories are accessed in a bilateral way. The guided instructions combined with eye movements help to access and reprocess any negative memories tied to a negative event.

A trauma usually causes your brain to store memories in an unhealthy way. Due to the improper storage, your brain will believe that you're still at risk of a threat, and the danger isn't over. Reprocessing during EMDR therapy helps your brain regain a natural healing process. The reprocessing acts as a way to repair your brain from the trauma. After a few sessions, when you remember specific details about the trauma, it will no longer feel like you're constantly reliving it. Any feelings, thoughts, or emotions will be a lot easy to handle moving forward.

Benefits of EMDR Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a highly effective form of therapy, especially for trauma. There have been many success stories as a result of EMDR therapy. Another benefit of EMDR therapy is that results are shown a lot sooner compared to other types of therapy.

EMDR therapy also requires a lot less back-end work or homework in between sessions. Other therapy sessions typically involve research, journaling, or writing down things you want to bring up during your next session. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy doesn't require any of that. The only work required during EMDR is during an actual session.

One of the most favorable benefits of EMDR therapy is the overall focus of this therapy type. In other forms of therapy, an individual may have to relive and talk through negative or traumatic events. During Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, the focus is more on reprocessing and moving past the trauma instead of focusing on every detail.

Next Steps

If you're interested in learning more about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, reach out to me today to schedule a consultation. We'll work with you to determine if EMDR Therapy is the best treatment plan for you, your history, and your overall wants, needs, and goals for moving forward on your path toward recovery and healing.