Benefits of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing in Your Grief Journey

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Grief can be a complex and confusing experience. EMDR is an established psychotherapy that differs from other psychotherapies in some fundamental ways. It is believed to work by changing how traumatic events are stored in the brain, thus reducing negative emotions and cognitions that stem from them.

Reduced Symptoms of PTSD

When trauma occurs, it can trigger a variety of symptoms, including flashbacks, depression, and anxiety. EMDR is an evidence-based treatment that helps reduce the severity and frequency of these symptoms. Your Transitioning Through Change therapist will guide you through recalling and discussing disturbing memories in a safe environment. They may then use bilateral stimulation such as their hand moving back and forth, a light bar that pulses back and forth, or audible taps to the left and right of their head to help them process the emotion connected with the memory. This technique may also cause the memory to become less upsetting over time and repeated sessions. Studies show that EMDR therapy reduces PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms, including subjective distress and self-esteem. This was demonstrated in a recent meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) published in PLoS One.

Increased Self-Esteem

EMDR therapy is a psychotherapy that helps alleviate the distress caused by traumatic memories. It is effective in helping people overcome a wide range of psychological stressors. This includes anxiety disorders, depression, and bipolar disorder. EMDR therapy is also helpful in treating grief and mourning. It was developed in the 1980s by psychologist Francine Shapiro. She discovered that making saccadic eye movements while concentrating on a distressing memory would make it disappear. She added cognitive components and developed the current standardized EMDR protocol. EMDR works by changing the way that the brain processes and stores memories. The process is similar to how the brain processes information during REM sleep. During an EMDR session, your therapist will ask you to focus on a specific image or memory and then use bilateral stimulation—most often in repeated eye movements—to help your body process the ideas, thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations as a result.

Relieved Anxiety

The grief and anxiety associated with the death of a loved one can be very intense. However, research shows that when EMDR is combined with compassionate mind training, it can accelerate the treatment of bereavement-related distressing memories and triggers. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy that speeds up the healing of psychological trauma. It is an interactional, standardized treatment approach that has been empirically tested in multiple studies and shown to be effective for many patients, including those with grief.

Helps with Depression

Studies have found that EMDR can help people heal from depression and PTSD. This is because unprocessed traumatic memories and emotions can contribute to symptoms of depression. In EMDR, rapid eye movements and bilateral stimulation (which might involve tapping, audio tones, or blinking lights) reduce the power of upsetting thoughts and images. This allows you to view the traumatic event from a more detached perspective, similar to viewing a movie, and releases the negative emotional charge attached. In phase 4, you will “install” a positive belief or image to replace the negative one you identified in phase 3. You will concentrate on this thought while tracking your therapist’s finger with your eyes, and the process of desensitization and installation continues until you can rate the positive belief as 7 (“completely true”).

Helps with Grief

One of the most common reactions to trauma is grief. Grief is an essential part of the healing process after a traumatic experience. Still, if it becomes severe and unrelenting, it can cause depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The good news is that there are ways to heal from grief. One incredibly effective technique is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR. EMDR helps to ease the pain of traumatic grief by reconciling your mind and body. Side-to-side eye movements and tapping motions enable one to manage the negative images, emotions, beliefs, and physical sensations associated with traumatic grief. Usually, EMDR reprocesses these traumatic memories within three sessions. Your therapist will monitor your emotional state and symptoms between treatments to make sure that progress is being made. They will also check your level of positive belief, or VOC, on a 7-point scale.

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