Michelle Argentina writes about depression therapy, trauma, emdr therapy
Trauma is our body's response to something overwhelming or scary that happens to us. When we face a really tough situation, our body and mind can get overwhelmed, and this can leave a lasting impact on us. The same experience can be traumatizing to one person and not traumatizing to someone else.
Trauma can happen to us when we are children, even if we don't fully understand it at the time, and it can still affect us when we become adults. Sometimes, we don't understand the connection between an experience that happened a long time ago to how we react and behave in the present.
Trauma can affect us in different ways. It can make us feel depressed, anxious, or isolated. We might have trouble sleeping or concentrating, or we might get angry or upset easily. It's important to remember that trauma is not our fault, and it's not something we can just "get over." It takes work and support to heal from trauma, and it's okay to get help.
It's not your fault, but now, it is up to you to get better.
What is EMDr?
Your Path to Healing
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) is a model of therapy that can be highly effective for those who have past negative experiences or traumas that continue to influence their current beliefs, emotions, thoughts, and/or experiences.
For example, experiencing trauma as a child can often lead to the subconscious or even conscious belief that one is unlovable. Therapy cannot change the past, but it can help change the negative belief and allow a more adaptive belief to develop.
One of the most effective ways to achieve this is with EMDR. EMDR therapy works on the fact that our emotional well-being is tied to our physical (somatic) state. Therefore, EMDR therapy employs a body-based technique called bilateral stimulation (BLS). During bilateral simulation, a therapist will guide a client through eye movements, audio tones, or taps (I use a small tapping device placed in each hand) to activate your brain's processing system. This system helps move a memory that has been incorrectly stored to a more functional part of the brain. This is called reprocessing.
By initiating the body’s natural healing process to reprocess the memory, your system can release the distorted belief and incorporate a more adaptive belief. In other words, EMDR therapy helps address a memory storage issue so that the painful memories associated with past trauma lose their emotional charge.
Because each person and each trauma are unique, there is not a set amount of time that it takes to reprocess a memory. You and your therapist will begin using BLS to activate internal resources that help you regulate your nervous system. Once resources are established, you can begin reprocessing the memory. Sometimes, this reprocessing can be completed in one session and other times it takes multiple sessions. In between sessions, you can use your resources to help regulate your nervous system.
Sometimes clients and their therapist decide to stop EMDR after activating resources. Internal resources are a powerful advantage to diminish negative symptoms. The decision to not continue EMDR is typically made because the client either experiences enough relief from their symptoms that they feel better or they don’t feel compelled to revisit their past negative experiences directly for various reasons. This is a valid decision and can only be made by the individual.
