Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an individual therapy for PTSD in which you will focus on processing your memory of the trauma.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing
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How does it work?
Trauma memories can be stored differently from other memories, making them hard to process or make sense of, but easy to be triggered by cues in your daily life. Trauma also can leave people with negative thoughts about themselves. EMDR helps you process the trauma, which can allow you to start to heal. In EMDR, you will pay attention to a back-and-forth movement or sound while you call to mind the upsetting memory and any thoughts or physical feelings that come with it. The back-and-forth movement helps you to stay in the present while allowing the brain to process information from the past and bring in new ways of feeling about the event. This will help you to see the trauma as a negative memory that is no longer so distressing. You also will start to identify more positive beliefs that can help you to feel better.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR): How does it work?
What can I expect?
During the first stage, you will learn about physical and emotional reactions to trauma. You and your clinician will discuss how ready you are to focus on your trauma memories in therapy. To prepare, you will learn some new coping skills. Next, you will identify the upsetting memory you want to focus on—including any negative thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations related to the memory. You will hold the memory in your mind while also paying attention to a back-and-forth movement or sound (like your clinician's moving finger, a flashing light, or a tone that beeps in one ear at a time) until your distress goes down. This will last for about 30 seconds at a time, and then you will talk about what the exercise was like for you. Eventually, you will focus on a positive belief and feeling while you hold the memory in your mind. Toward the end of treatment, your clinician will reassess your symptoms to see if you need to process other targets.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR): What can I expect?
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy Treatment Overview
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Is it effective?
Yes, EMDR is one of the most effective types of treatment for PTSD.
57 out of every 100 people who receive EMDR, CPT or PE will have meaningful symptom improvement after treatment *
For every 100 people with PTSD who do not receive treatment, 8 will have meaningful symptom improvement after about three months. **
What are the risks?
You may feel uncomfortable when focusing on trauma-related memories or beliefs. These feelings are usually brief, and people tend to feel better as they keep doing EMDR. Most people who complete EMDR find that the benefits outweigh any initial discomfort.
Group or individual?
EMDR is an individual therapy. You will meet one-to-one with your clinician for each session.
Will I talk in detail about my trauma?
No, in most cases you will not be asked to talk out loud about the details of your trauma. But you will be asked to think about your trauma in session.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR): Will I need to talk about my trauma?
Will I have homework?
No, EMDR does not require you to complete homework or practice assignments between sessions.
How long does treatment last?
About 3 months of weekly 50–90-minute sessions. But many people start to notice improvement after a few sessions. And the benefits of EMDR can last long after your final session with your clinician.
How available is this in VA?
Moderate. EMDR is offered in many VA Medical Center specialized PTSD programs. It is more widely available outside VA.
Does VA have an app for that?
No, currently VA has not developed an app for EMDR.
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Footnotes
* What do these figures mean?
The yellow figures represent the number of people who will have a meaningful improvement in symptoms. This was measured by seeing how many people no longer have enough symptoms to meet criteria for PTSD. They may still have some PTSD symptoms, but in most cases these symptoms will be manageable and will not occur very often. When someone no longer meets criteria for PTSD, they usually will notice a big difference in their ability to engage in and enjoy life.
The blue figures represent the number of people who will not recover from PTSD, meaning that they will still have enough symptoms to meet criteria for PTSD. Some of these people will notice an improvement in their symptoms, but they will still have PTSD
** How did we calculate this number?
To see how helpful treatments are, the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid shows how many people improved after getting a treatment. If people improve enough that their symptoms no longer meet criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD, this is called “loss of diagnosis.” To estimate how many people would have a loss of diagnosis after each treatment, we gathered data from studies of the treatments included in the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid. We only included studies that were large, compared the treatment to another treatment, and used clinicians to assess whether patients had PTSD.
Some of the studies included comparison groups who did not receive treatment. We used data from those groups to estimate how many people lost their diagnosis without treatment.
