Does EMDR Work? Just the Basics: Part 2
What is EMDR Therapy and Does it Work?
After tackling some of the basics of what EMDR is in my last post, I wanted to dive deeper and continue to answer the questions I frequently get as an EMDR Therapist in Los Angeles. Most people have at least heard of EMDR at this point, but there is a lot of confusion about what it is and how it differs from other types of therapy.
Well, I’m here to help clear up the confusion. After providing hundreds of hours of EMDR Therapy, I hope I’ve learned to take out most of the technical jargon and provide more straightforward but thorough explanations.
If you have not yet read What is EMDR? Just the Basics Part 1, head over there, and ensure you have the foundational information needed. In that post, I address “What is EMDR Therapy?” and “What Does EMDR Therapy Look Like?”
DISCLAIMER: This is not a research study or a peer-reviewed article. There are several such articles on EMDR that you can find on Google to provide more detailed and technical information. I’m merely here to give a quick and simple overview of the findings of well-known research. If the information provided piques your interest, I invite you to do further research, should you feel it necessary, before determining if EMDR is right for you.
Does EMDR Work? Is EMDR Evidence-Based?
EMDR is, in fact, an evidence-based and empirically validated model of therapy for the treatment of PTSD. Several randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of EMDR in decreasing the emotional and physical distress associated with PTSD, depression, anxiety, OCD, panic disorder, eating disorders, substance abuse disorders, low self-esteem, and more.
While it’s been just in the last several years that EMDR has become more well-known and mainstream, it is not all that new. Francine Shapiro introduced EMDR over 30 years ago. Research studies and trials have consistently shown EMDR to be a powerful and effective treatment, often producing quicker results than other therapy models. Another thing to note is that the results of EMDR are long-lasting, and individuals tend to maintain the progress made in EMDR sessions.
EMDR vs Talk Therapy. What is Different about EMDR?
Before mentioning what differs between EMDR and some other Talk Therapy strategies, I believe it is important to note similarities. The goals of EMDR, like talk therapy, are to challenge negative core beliefs and worldviews, decrease emotional distress and physical symptoms, implement healthy coping strategies, process current and past hurts, and learn healthier ways of thinking, feeling, and being.
It’s just the way EMDR goes about it that is a bit different. Even then, there are certainly some shared themes and techniques that overlap with other therapy models. The main thing you’d notice in transitioning from talk therapy to EMDR is that you…well, talk a bit less. You may even disclose fewer details about difficult or traumatic events to your therapist than with other therapy models. Now, this doesn’t mean you don’t engage with difficult memories; it just means you don’t have to say them out loud.
With EMDR, talking about or engaging (internally) with difficult life experiences is primarily done during the phase of EMDR where you are targeting unpleasant memories to reprocess and desensitize yourself to them. Sure, you’ll talk about them briefly during the initial history taking and in setting up an EMDR target. But, extended time on distressing memories mainly occurs with bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, handheld buzzers, tones/sounds) and with more silence than conversing.
You typically will not target and process your trauma history in every session or for the entire length of each session. So, there certainly will be talking. Between rounds of bilateral stimulation, the therapist will check in with you, and you will have the opportunity to briefly share what is going on with your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. However, you’ll want to allow your brain and body to do the work and not let too much conversation get in the way of processing the target. Your therapist will work with you to make sure there is time for you to verbally process anything that came up during EMDR processing, either at the end of the session or in an upcoming session.