"That’s why time doesn’t heal all wounds and you may still feel anger, resentment, pain, sorrow, or a number of other emotions about events that took place years ago. They are frozen in time, and the unprocessed memories can become the foundation for emotional and sometimes physical problems." — Francine Shapiro
Have you ever felt confused by your body's physical reaction to a stimulus? Whether it's a fear of public speaking, an intense reaction to your partner, or panic that arises out of nowhere, chances are your body has experienced the effects of previous trauma at some point or another. Nowadays, there is often a narrow definition of trauma and what constitutes a traumatic event. Some traumatic events are more apparent than others, such as natural disasters, abuse, neglect, or war experiences. But it’s important to note that trauma is not always obvious. How an event feels and is stored in the body is often more impactful than the event itself.
Picture this: Sandra* is a 30-year-old female who expresses an ongoing fear of abandonment and comes to therapy to address the ways this is affecting her current relationship. Sandra notices that she experiences a sense of panic whenever her partner leaves for work. While exploring this with her therapist, Sandra tells a story of her mother picking her up late from school throughout kindergarten. Sandra recalls the panic that she experienced every single time. Her 6-year-old self was inconsolable, feeling forgotten and abandoned.
An event is traumatic when it overwhelms the nervous system and consequently hinders the body's ability to process and recall that memory. This is why certain memories may affect our present day experiences in ways we don’t even realize. For Sandra, the abandonment she once felt by her mother manifested into a fear of being left by her current partner.
After several sessions of successful EMDR therapy, Sandra started to notice a shift in her response when her partner left for work. She also noticed a shift in her relationship with her mother as she viewed her childhood through a new lens of appreciation and understanding. She came to realize that her mother never forgot her or abandoned her. In fact, her mother did everything in her power to show up on time, but arrived late often due to picking her siblings up from a school 30 minutes away. While Sandra knew she wasn’t abandoned, her body felt differently and lived to tell a different story.
So what is EMDR and how does it work?
There is an incredible amount of research-based evidence to support the efficacy of EMDR. Inspiring stories such as Sandra’s highlight how EMDR taps into the brain’s natural healing abilities. The link between our past experiences and our present day struggles is not always so easy to pinpoint. For example, a fear of flying may be connected to a loss of control rather than flying itself. A fear of shots at the doctor’s office may be linked to feeling violated in the past. Our minds interpret threatening stimuli in complex ways and it can take time to uncover the truth behind why you experience certain symptoms.Through a trauma-informed lens, EMDR-trained therapists are well equipped to notice what could be contributing to present day difficulties.
EMDR is a therapeutic approach designed to help people process and heal from traumatic experiences. Developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR has gained recognition for its effectiveness in treating trauma, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. At its core, EMDR is based on the idea that our brains can process and heal from trauma just like our bodies can heal from physical injuries. However, when a traumatic event occurs, the memory of it can get "stuck," preventing the brain from fully processing it. Traumatic memories are often stored in the body in the same state as they were experienced— whether that’s a state of dissociation, freeze, fight-or-flight, or panic. A healthy memory is stored in a way that separates our emotions or physical experiences from the reality of the situation.
When you get a cut, you need to sanitize it and clean it before it can heal. Time alone doesn’t always heal a wound. Likewise, our minds have an amazing ability to heal, but we need to create the right conditions for it to do so. EMDR therapy removes all the ‘dirt’ from the wound for it to heal properly. The bilateral stimulation used in EMDR sessions helps activate the brain's information processing system. This allows you to re-process the traumatic memories and reintegrate them in a healthier way. In doing this, positive beliefs and feelings are reinforced to replace the negative ones associated with the trauma. The therapist focuses on the somatic experience of the individual to release the trauma memories stored in the body.
After successfully completing EMDR, you will:
Feel alleviated from present and future triggers
Eliminate the distress associated with disturbing memories
Experience relief from physical disturbances
After completing EMDR, you will not:
Remember something that did not happen (false memory)
Erase a difficult memory
Suddenly make a hard experience a positive experience
EMDR offers a way to heal from the past and move forward with a lighter, more resilient heart. If you've been struggling with unresolved trauma or emotional pain, EMDR might be the key to your healing journey. Healing is possible, and you don't have to go through it alone. If you're interested in learning more about EMDR or considering it as part of your therapy, reach out to our Client Care Coordinator to schedule a free consultation! There are several EMDR-trained therapists at Root to Rise, including myself, who would love to join you on your healing journey.
*Name and identifying information has been changed to protect client confidentiality
Warmly,
Sophia Rodriguez, AMFT
