Up to 70 per of the world’s population will experience at least one highly traumatic event in their lifetime, but it doesn’t mean they will have to bear the scars forever. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) has been helping patients since 1987, giving them the chance to recall past traumas in a safe environment.
Riley explained that memories stored in the front of the brain can be triggered to cause a flight, fight or freeze response. The overloading can result in disturbing experiences being unprocessed. An ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study showed that half the patients dropped out of an obesity clinic program because they were traumatized as children, with many sexually molested.
“They had a great need to feel better so food became their comfort,” she explained.
Of course, not everyone who suffers a trauma will be negatively impacted for life. Riley said exactly how patients are affected depends on their individual resilience.
EMDR replicates REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep to help the body heal itself naturally. As well as anxiety and depression, trauma can also manifest itself physically with back pain or stomach aches.
When working with patients Riley recreates rapid eye movements in her patients by having them follow her finger backwards and forwards across their visual field. Sometimes a bar of moving lights or headphones is used instead. After the eye movements have lasted a short while, patients are asked to report back on the experiences they have had during each set.
Repetition helps the memory to change in such a way that memories lose their painful connotations and become neutral.
“I try to develop a relationship first because patients need to trust me,” Riley said. “I try to learn what helps them be resilient. For example, did they ever have someone who nurtured them?” Focusing on a positive memory from the same time can help heal mind, body and spirit.
Riley admits she was skeptical when she first heard about EMDR as a new counsellor, but says she now knows it works. She has used EMDR and other treatment modalities to help clients address past trauma events since 2004.
“Trauma can give patients a core belief that they are not worthy or stupid,” she said. “If a person gets stuck it will limit what they can do in life.”
EMDR can help patients suffering from common childhood traumas to PTSD from serving in the armed forces.
Numerous studies have shown that by using this form of therapy, patients can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to heal.
According to the EMDR Institute, the mind can heal from psychological trauma just like the body can recover from physical trauma.
“When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain,” they say. “Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes.”