What Are You Noticing Now?
For any client or practitioner of EMDR, you are no stranger to this question. The question “What are you noticing now?” is at the fulcrum of EMDR therapy. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) is a therapy treatment which reprocesses memories that became stuck in our brains and bodies during the trauma. The present-moment focus of EMDR couples beautifully with Mindfulness: a continual refocusing of your attention on the present moment. In Mindfulness, we recognize that we have stories about our past that loop, narratives in our mind that play like a tape over and over again. We worry about the future. And this is all leads to dukkha, or suffering, the First Noble Truth of Buddhism.
The remedy is to use breath or sensation in the body as an anchor in the present moment. Our mind may wander a hundred times (in fact, I assure you it will) but this is part of the mindfulness practice. We notice where our mind wandered, gently acknowledge that without judgement, and then guide our attention back to our breath or body.
This present-moment awareness is where the marriage and Mindfulness and EMDR shines. In EMDR, the client calls up a distressing memory. This memory becomes the target for reprocessing. We ask the client to identify the negative belief that they hold about themselves, in this moment, as they call up this distressing memory. Common negative beliefs include, I am not safe, I am not in control, I am worthless, I cannot help myself. And don’t fret if you can’t identify the negative belief, we provide a list of the “greatest hits” of negative beliefs. Research has shown that negative beliefs about self fall into 5 categories: Responsibility (ex: I should have done something), Safety, (ex: I cannot trust anyone), Choice (ex: I have no options), Power (ex: I cannot get what I want), and Value (ex: I am a failure.)
By having a client identify their negative beliefs about themselves right now, as they call up the distressing memory, we shift the focus from the past memory and into the present moment. This is an action of mindfulness, and something that makes EMDR therapy such a powerful trauma treatment. We aren’t having clients describe their trauma in detail from the past. This therapy is not about taking a detailed trauma history. EMDR therapy is about unweaving our associated memories so that our past no longer effects our present in a negative way.
EMDR therapy is about unweaving our associated memories so that our past no longer effects our present in a negative way.
And guess what! This is only Phase 1 of treatment. EMDR Therapy is an 8 phase treatment. Phase 1 cuts to the core of Mindfulness and gets us present in our bodies and minds. In Phases 3-8, we have the client call up the distressing event along with their negative belief, feelings, and body sensation. We then apply the bilateral stimulation which can be eye movements, tapping right to left, or audio sounds from right to left. As the bilateral is applied, we pause every 30-45 seconds and check in with the client asking “What are you noticing now?” The client then shares a brief highlight of whatever is happening for them in the present moment, be it a thought, feeling, or body sensation. We then say, “Notice that” and continue applying the bilateral. The material that comes up is nothing short of miraculous, and the power of the protocol to have the client access their own inner resources for healing is truly amazing to witness.
I just wrapped up Part two of EMDR Training which included three long days of lecture with a rigorous practicum where we all practiced on each other in small groups. A room full of therapists doing EMDR on each other, bringing up painful memories and moments of deep suffering, and then freeing one another of this suffering through the use of the protocol. Can you imagine the intensity in that room?!
Fresh out of training, I’m find myself being a better “noticer”. EMDR coupled with Mindfulness is about as present-moment as you can get when talking about a treatment for trauma. Historically, trauma treatment involved recalling in detail the events of the trauma. But newer research shows that this can be re-traumatizing for the client. EMDR does not require a detailed history but asks for a client to just give brief “headlines” of their thoughts and experience.
What are you noticing now? I know I’m a wonk for this stuff, but is anyone else getting excited about this? EMDR Therapy is a powerful and incisive tool to unravel the maladaptive ways that we store memory and how these memories affect our present-moment experience. Couple this with Mindfulness practices such as body scans, guided visualizations, Metta (Loving Kindness), and breathwork, and it’s no wonder EMDR is already making such a difference in our clients’, and our own lives.
If you have any questions about EMDR Therapy, tune in for more articles, miraculous stories about how its helping my clients, what it’s actually like in the room, and how it can help you.
