EMDR Therapy

EMDR Therapy: Finding Healing and Moving Forward

Life experiences can sometimes leave lasting emotional wounds that impact our present well-being. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a powerful and innovative approach designed to help you process these difficult memories and reduce their lingering effects. At MasterMind Centres in North Vancouver, our trained EMDR therapists offer a safe and supportive environment to guide you toward healing and resilience.

In Canada, the standards for EMDR therapy are upheld by two key national authorities: EMDR Canada (emdrcanada.ca) and the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA.org). These organizations ensure therapists meet rigorous EMDR training in Canada and ethical guidelines to provide effective EMDR therapy. MasterMind Centres proudly holds memberships in both EMDR Canada and EMDRIA, reflecting our commitment to upholding the highest standards of EMDR practice.

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy approach initially developed to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However,its effectiveness has expanded to address a wide range of mental health challenges stemming from distressing life events. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses on changing emotions, thoughts, or behaviours resulting from the distressing event, EMDR directly targets how the brain processes these memories. By facilitating the brain's natural healing mechanisms, EMDR can lead to significant and lasting relief from emotional distress.

How EMDR Therapy Works: The Process Explained

The core of EMDR therapy involves bilateral stimulation, which alternately activates the left and right sides of the brain. This is often achieved through guided eye movements, but can also involve tactile stimulation (like tapping) or auditory tones. While engaging in this bilateral stimulation, you will briefly focus on a specific traumatic memory or distressing issue, including the associated images, thoughts, feelings, and body sensations.

The exact neurobiological mechanisms of EMDR are still being researched. Still, it's believed that bilateral stimulation helps to "unlock" traumatic memories that may be stuck or unprocessed in the brain. This process allows for the adaptive resolution of these memories, meaning the distressing emotions and beliefs associated with them are reduced, and healthier perspectives can emerge. We want you to know that you will not be asked to detail the traumatic event extensively, minimizing potential re-traumatization.

What to Expect During an EMDR Therapy Session

EMDR therapy follows a structured eight-phase protocol outlined by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). In-depth training on these steps is essential to ensure client success and safety and is why we support, and you should insist on an EMDRIA-certified practitioner. While the specifics of each session will be tailored to your individual needs and experiences, here's a general overview of what you can expect:

History and Treatment Planning: Your therapist will take a thorough history and work with you to identify specific memories and issues to target with EMDR. Together, you will develop a treatment plan.
Preparation: Your therapist will explain the EMDR process in detail and ensure you have the necessary coping skills and resources to manage any potential emotional distress that may arise during or after sessions. EMDRIA emphasizes the importance of this stage in building trust and ensuring you feel prepared.
Assessment: You will be asked to identify a target memory, including the related image, negative belief about yourself, positive belief you'd like to have, the intensity of your negative emotions, and any associated physical sensations.
Desensitization: This is the core of the EMDR process. While focusing on the target memory and its components, you will engage in bilateral stimulation (usually eye movements guided by your therapist). Brief sets of stimulation are followed by a short break where you will notice any thoughts, feelings, images, or sensations that arise. This process is repeated until the distress associated with the memory decreases significantly. EMDRIA notes that your role is simply to notice what comes up without trying to direct it.
Installation: Once the distress is reduced, your therapist will help you strengthen the positive belief you identified earlier, pairing it with the memory using bilateral stimulation. The goal, according to EMDRIA, is for the positive belief to feel more real and connected to the memory.
Body Scan: You will be asked to focus on your body to identify any remaining physical sensations related to the target memory. If there is still tension or discomfort, further processing may occur. EMDRIA highlights this step as crucial for ensuring complete processing.
Closure: Each EMDR session concludes with ensuring you are in a stable state. Your therapist will discuss what to expect between sessions and provide you with self-soothing techniques if needed. EMDRIA stresses that closure ensures you leave the session feeling grounded.
Re-evaluation: In subsequent sessions, your therapist will check on the progress made and identify any new targets that may need to be addressed. EMDRIA explains that this phase helps to ensure the treatment is progressing effectively and that all relevant issues are addressed.

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Symptoms and Conditions Effectively Treated by EMDR

While initially developed for PTSD, research and clinical experience have demonstrated EMDR's effectiveness in treating a wide range of psychological issues, including:

Trauma and PTSD: This includes single-incident traumas, complex trauma, and childhood trauma.
Anxiety Disorders: Such as panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.
Depression: Often linked to past negative experiences and unresolved grief.
Phobias: Specific fears that significantly impact daily life.
Grief and Loss: Facilitating the processing of complicated or unresolved grief.
Eating Disorders: Addressing underlying emotional issues and body image concerns.
Addictions: Processing past traumas and triggers associated with substance use.
Low Self-Esteem: Challenging negative self-beliefs rooted in past experiences.
Performance Anxiety: Addressing underlying anxieties related to specific situations.

The Evidence Base: EMDR Research and Efficacy

EMDR therapy has been the subject of extensive research, and numerous studies have demonstrated its efficacy in treating various psychological conditions. Organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association have recognized EMDR as an effective treatment for PTSD. Research continues to explore the mechanisms of action and the application of EMDR to other mental health challenges, consistently showing promising results in reducing symptoms and improving overall well-being. The structured protocol and the focus on processing underlying memories contribute to its often rapid and lasting effects.

At MasterMind Centres in North Vancouver, our commitment is to provide you with evidence-based therapies delivered by qualified professionals. Our memberships with both EMDR Canada and EMDRIA further solidify this commitment to providing the highest quality EMDR therapy. If you are seeking a powerful and effective approach to address the impact of distressing life experiences, EMDR therapy may be a valuable option for you. Contact us today to learn more and begin your journey toward healing and a brighter future

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a very specialized psychotherapy approach that requires practitioners to undergo extensive training and certification, which is why only a handful of counsellors offer it. EMDR may not be right for you, but as certified EMDR practitioners ourselves and having been certified in a number of other approaches as well, we can help you to determine if it is right for you and will not recommend it unless we believe it will bring you benefits.

EMDR has been shown to drastically reduce the amount of time it takes for some to feel better, especially in dealing with trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in particular. Having helped many clients achieve breakthroughs on problems they have spent years trying to tackle in traditional therapy, we can determine if it is right for you and develop a specific treatment plan that we will follow together.

We are certified from EMDRIA (click here to view digital badge), the leading and highest authority in EMDR practice. An EMDR Certified Therapist has engaged in at least 20 hours of consultation with an EMDR Consultant for EMDR and has practiced their skills with at least 25 different clients in at least 50 EMDR sessions. An EMDR Certified Therapist has voluntarily met standards of consultation, clinical practice, and continuing education to provide EMDR therapy. An EMDR Certified Therapist is committed to fulfill ethical standards and is engaged in continuing education. To maintain this certification, a therapist must continue to satisfy the EMDRIA requirement including completion of continuing education requirements and adherence to ethical standards.