What is EMDR and is it right for me?
By Dr Jeannie Bertoli
Have you been having emotional reactions that you don’t like?
Have they seemed disproportionate to the actual event - or have people told you that?
Are you having anger or tears over events today that you think might be tied to the past?
Are you having flashbacks or easily triggered by trauma events from your past?
I’m Dr. Jeannie Bertoli and I utilize a technique to deal with just these situations called EMDR.
EMDR stands for Eye-Movement, Desensitization, and Re-Processing and utilizes bi-lateral stimulation of the brain to allow it (the brain) to, in a sense, shake and clear places where we get emotionally stuck.
I know that may sound like a lot of textbook talk, but in plain English it means EMDR helps us clear away the past so that we can be free of emotional reactions that can cause us pain or problems today. Was that a little simpler? Now let me answer some questions that usually come next.
Q: How do you actually do it?
I utilize a small machine that has a headset to go over your ears and 2 small nugget-sized “tactiles” that you can either hold or put under your legs. You can determine how loud or how quickly the machine goes. You have A LOT of control over your experience. You will hear a tone in your ears kind of like a hearing test tone. The tactiles buzz - again to the volume and speed you choose.
Q: Does the machine hurt at all?
Absolutely not. The headset and tactiles do not hurt at all.
Q: How does it work?
The truth is nobody really knows why or how it works, just THAT it works. There have been lots of studies done on EMDR that show its effectiveness.
Q: How would I know if this is right for me?
Well, try using the questions at the very beginning of this page. Do those sound like you or how others might describe you?
I have found that it might be obvious that people who have been through what I call “Big T Traumas” could obviously use EMDR to help them. But I’ve also found that many, many of us have been through some things in our lives I call “Small t Traumas” about which we still carry some pain.
EMDR can help with both, and can do so much more quickly than other therapies, so you’re not wasting a lot of time or money “hoping” for some improvement.
Q: How long does it take?
Okay, so this partly depends upon you. There are some steps we need to take (clearly outlined in The Cleveland Clinic link below) as responsible professionals. We can’t just boom, put you on the machine. These initial sessions can be just 2-3 to assess your situation, setup safety protocols, and overall prepare you for the experience.
After that, we can begin the Re-processing part…that’s what most people want to get to as quickly as possible. The number of sessions depends on how many issues you want to address and how you are doing with the healing.
What I can tell you most of all is that you will know very quickly if it is working for you.
Q: How long does the improvement last?
This is probably the best news - the improvements you make during EMDR are shown to be permanent. Once a memory or pain point is re-processed, it seems to stay that way! Really - it’s an amazing opportunity to deal with issues small and large and move forward in your life more easily.
Links for more information:
As promised, here is a link to The Cleveland Clinic’s description of EMDR that gives a fuller description of the technique.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22641-emdr-therapy
In addition, here is a link from the National Institutes of Health that refers to studies on EMDR’s effectiveness:
If you have questions, call us at The Place for Counseling and ask to set up a free consultation with me. I would be happy to answer all of your questions to see if it is a good fit for you.
