5
EMDR
:
Elizabeth Weinhold, M.A., LPC, BCPCC
D
o you ever find that your therapeutic “tool box” needs
updating? I did, right around the time I understood
there was a population amongst my clients who were
not fully benefitting by CBT alone. This population
appeared to have internal response systems which were resistant
to CBT. Experiences with clients such as these led me to explore
and integrate Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
(EMDR) into my practice.
I began my EMDR training in 2012, enrolling in EMDR Basic
Training through the EMDR Institute. Basic Training consisted
of 20 hours of lecture, 20 hours of practice and 10 hours of con-
sultation, spanning a six-month period of time. I began to practice
EMDR with clients under supervision.
In EMDR the saying is “your past is your present”. Present
disturbances are being activated by past trauma. The past trauma
originally blocked adaptive processing at the initial point of
impact. When processing was blocked, negative neural networks
developed. Through the bilateral stimulation of the brain, which
is a central EMDR component, negative neural networks become
unblocked and the brain is released to do what the brain is good
at doing, which is to process these memories, thoughts and emo-
tions adaptively. As this process occurs, current disturbances are
desensitized. Then, a more adaptive way of thinking and respond-
ing to present triggers is installed, allowing for the development of
positive neural networks that replace the negative ones.
An Effective Treatment
for Difficult Trauma Cases
