Do You Talk During EMDR?
The short answer is yes, but the long answer is yes and no. Most people are used to the idea that going into therapy, you will be talking about your life. Some people find this easy, others do not. In both cases, talk therapy can be challenging.
Oftentimes, in the case of trauma, it is painful to talk about and can be re-traumatizing. EMDR is slightly different in that during certain phases of treatment there is less talking. Less talking allows for less chances of the therapist misinterpreting something and more chances for the brain to focus on all aspects of the memory cognitions, images, emotions, and body sensations.
In fact, with the support of EMDR techniques, it is your brain holistically healing you. In this blog post we will dive into what EMDR is, why there is less talking in EMDR, and the benefits of EMDR.
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is a specific type of therapy that connects the brain to the body. EMDR utilizes the adaptive information processing model (AIP). This theoretical model believes that our brains are wired to adaptively process and store memories. Our memories are also stored in networks where they can build off of one another.
However, sometimes a traumatic or distressing incident occurs that causes overwhelm to the system and we are unable to adaptively process a memory. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (back and forth eye movements, audio, or tapping) to assist our brains to adaptively process the memory. The rhythmic pattern of the bilateral stimulation acts like a short cut to our brains adaptive information processing system.
Think of it like doing math; we have to learn and remember the basics first and then we build off of that. If you learn that 2+2= 4, you are set up for success, but if you learn that 2+2=5 your brain will struggle to adaptively process and will leave you making errors, until a teacher comes in and provides the necessary support.
Sometimes, adverse (traumatic) events happen and our brains (and bodies) become overwhelmed which prevents processing the memory in adaptive ways. This leads to unprocessed memories which leads to dysfunctional thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and/or behaviors.
EMDR works to target those memories that have not been adaptively processed. With the use of bilateral stimulation, which helps access both sides of the brain and calm the amygdala, memories can become processed and stored in a more adaptive way.
Do you talk during EMDR?
Like I said before, yes and no. Your therapist will spend the beginning of treatment building safety and trust, working to understand your history, and identifying resources that can help you cope. This involves a back and forth flow of conversation. These are important steps in starting therapy and you can read more about these phases in this blog post here.
During the 4th phase, the reprocessing phase, there is a shift in how much the therapist interjects. Less talking might seem weird at first, but it’s important to keep the brain on track in processing.
If the therapist reflects back what you said, but uses different words, your brain then has to process what your therapist said and determine if that fits their emotional experience and then, typically, you verbally respond back. This verbal exchange primes you to shut down the emotional and physical experience and shifts you into an intellectual or cognitive experience. In EMDR, we want to process the whole experience and we want your brain to lead.
Instead of having a verbal exchange, during phase 4, you will think about the distressing memory or event while focusing on the bilateral stimulation (eye movements, sounds, or tappers). Naturally, your brain and body will start having thoughts, emotions, or physical sensations.
The therapist will stop you and ask you what you were noticing, you state what you were noticing, and then the therapist will say “go with that.” You might wonder what you might say you were noticing. Typically, we want you to share the most important thing you notice whether that is a thought, emotion, or body sensation. Sometimes what you are noticing is intense, remember that all thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations are like a wave- they will descend and dissipate.
EMDR’s use of bilateral stimulation helps aid recovery and release of distress by helping the amygdala stay calm.
You will repeat this process until nothing new is coming up or there is no disturbance when you think about the memory.
There may be times that it is necessary for the therapist to say more than “go with that.” A trained therapist in EMDR will know when to give you more verbal input.
EMDR can be similar to taking care of a wound. Let’s say you fall and scrape up your knee. Most likely you will clean it out, maybe apply some ointment, and then put a bandage on it and then let the body take over. You may check in on it to cleanse or reapply the ointment and a bandage. You would not continuously pick at it because that would make the healing take longer.
The same goes for EMDR, EMDR is like the ointment and bandage, if the therapist starts a flow of conversation during reprocessing, that’s like picking at the wound, it may influence and disrupt the healing process.
In EMDR, we trust that your brain knows what it is doing. You might read this and say, but clearly it doesn’t know what it is doing because I am depressed or anxious, having nightmares, have low self esteem, etc. However, when you apply the techniques of EMDR with a trained therapist, your brain is set up for more success in adaptively processing the memories and therefore reducing symptoms.
What are the benefits of EMDR?
If you’re considering pursuing EMDR therapy, here are some of the potential benefits:
a different way of processing trauma and distress (not just talking) that involves the brain and the body
specific trauma support from your therapist (EMDR requires additional training to utilize)
increased awareness of how thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations are connected
increased emotion regulation
improved self esteem
resolution of trauma
holistic healing that allows your brain and body to process in the way that is most adaptive for you
Have questions about EMDR? Reach out to ask or schedule a free consultation with me today.