What is it? And why is the tool so effective? EMDR = eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Equivalent to the English term EMDR - eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. The founder of this method is Francine Shapiro (1987). At first, the work was carried out at the EMD level, that is, desensitization occurred in clients, reducing emotional intensity through eye movements, and by 1990 it became clear that traumatic experience was processed through oculomotor movements. EMDR therapy in 2003 was included by the WHO in the recommendations for treatment post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adults. And memories of events that come in the process of EMDR in the USA are taken as evidence in court, unlike, for example, memories that came under hypnosis (the court does not take them into account). The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations uses the EMDR method as one of the first methods of quickly providing psychological assistance to victims of floods, earthquakes and other serious disasters. The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (UK), among more than 500 psychotherapeutic methods in 2005, recognized only two methods (CBT and EMDR) as scientifically proven in curing the adult population from stress disorders. The EMDR method is already helping from the first session! The movements made while working in this method are similar to the movements of spontaneous eye movements in different directions that occur in the REM sleep phase or, as Rossi (a student of M. Erikson) described, in a state of natural trance. Our brain periodically (every 1-1.5 hours) plunges into this state, and we are so accustomed to it that more often than not we don’t even notice it. At such moments the gaze is either unfocused or running. (You can track it on the people around you). Recently, EMDR therapy has changed from a separate technique to an integrated psychotherapeutic approach. In my work, in practice, I can note the effectiveness of combining the approach of cognitive behavioral therapy and EMDR. In the modern world, when we are surrounded by a large number of stress factors, and everyone’s mental capabilities are different, the number of people with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is increasing. . This can even be observed after the pandemic, when, as studies show, severe PTSD developed in people who took part in combat operations. What happens when there is a traumatic experience? Several traumatic events were linked in the red “capsule”, which the psyche (for various reasons) not completely processed. And they constantly sound, creating, for example, an anxious state or causing panic attacks. We can remember some of the events, but the psyche has repressed some of them for us. However, it is important to say that in the process of working in EMDR, events that lie on this shelf can (and will) emerge. And it is very desirable to process all of them so that they are distributed throughout the unconscious like black dots and become simply events, facts in memory that do not return again and again to the traumatic experience. The concept of “affective complex” was introduced by S. Freud, denoting it as a clutch various links of a certain situation associated with affect. Thus, affect is glued to some similar significant event from the past. And for example, processing anxiety from a boss’s reprimand may well bring to mind the face and behavior of the parent when he scolded for a broken vase. Then the psyche repressed this painful memory without processing it, and it can continue to fade to this day. Absolutely any memories can get into this red “capsule”. And at each session, we will directly determine with the client what we continue to work with. It is important to say that in EMDR (as in any other therapy) we can work at two levels: - at the level of the symptom (reduce anxiety here and now) - at level of the syndrome (working directly with the cause hidden in the depths of our psyche). The goal of work in EMDR will be not only to reduce the level, but in general to rid the person of the influence of thesebackground, resource-consuming events. As we process it (especially if we go to the level of the syndrome, then personal changes in a person may begin to occur). Why does EMDR really help? We can imagine that in our head we have a machine that processes information. But some of the information does not pass through for various reasons and remains stored in an unprocessed form (there may be too much of it, or it is very painful, or because this information was received by a child who still had few ways of coping with it, he did not understand how react to it). And at the moment of making oculomotor movements, we seem to be accelerating the car. We begin to move through a dark tunnel. And it is very important for us not to stop in this tunnel, to continue to put pressure on the gas and process it in order to eventually emerge into the light. After the EMDR session, this machine (our psyche) will continue to further refine the pieces of that event, spreading and forming those very black dots that will no longer be fouled, but will remain facts (without devaluing the very fact of the event). Everything related to the storage of traumatic experience can be conditionally placed at the level of the midbrain (the emotional brain, the limbic system are located precisely in the midbrain between the brainstem and the cerebral cortex brain). (It’s difficult to say exactly what happens at the level of brain chemistry during EMDR, but so far they note that EMDR also works at the level of the midbrain. Based on the fact that the midbrain has a habit of hyperactivation (hence the states of alertness, hypervigilance, etc. ), then our task will be to slow down these hyperactivating areas of the brain. Which, in fact, happens during desensitization, when the client makes oculomotor movements alternately in different directions. At the level of neurophysiology, an isolated neural network with trauma is activated and the processing of dysfunctional material begins. As Cora wrote. The Besser-Sigmund method of EMDR is a method that directly targets the amygdala and silences this “signal bell of the brain.” When is EMDR indicated? In fact, today EMDR is used for a wide range of issues (from minor fears, self-doubt to phobias). For example, there are special separate protocols for working with: - mental trauma, PTSD; - anxiety; - panic disorder (incl. with panic attacks); - phobias; - obsessive-compulsive disorder; - depression; - eating disorders; - sexual dysfunctions. EMDR is effective in working with painful memories of an event (including at the physiological level), with negative emotions about the event or to yourself in this event, as well as with a negative self-image (for example, with thoughts, I am a bad mother). EMDR is contraindicated in: pregnancy; the presence of psychotic conditions; epilepsy; inability to tolerate a high level of anxiety (both during sessions and in between between them).What are the symptoms of traumatization: Intrusive thoughts Problems with sleep Nightmarish recurring dreams Uncontrollable strong emotions Distracted attention, difficulty concentrating Irritability. Outbursts of anger Hypervigilance Anxiety Catastrophizing Overreaction All this may be a reason to wonder how much these symptoms affect the quality of life. And if they still interfere, then seek advice from a specialist. I note that EMDR (like other methods) is not some kind of magic technique. Effective work in this method is the result of interaction between the client, the psychologist (psychotherapist) and the method. Without a therapeutic alliance (the relationship built in the process of work between the psychologist and the client), it will be very difficult to move on, I would say impossible. Thus, using the EMDR method in our work, we help the client achieve positive results in our work and changes in life in general much faster. If you are interested in EMDR/EMDR therapy, the topic of processing negative experiences, excessive anxiety, then write to me at.