Treating Complex Trauma With EMDR

While we tend to think of trauma as an emotional or mental struggle, the reality is that it lives in our bodies also. Whenever we experience a traumatic event, our bodies produce a rush of hormones that are meant to help us survive a dangerous situation. Cortisol and adrenaline flood through our body, sharpening our senses and transforming the way we store and process memories.

Complex trauma, has multiple definitions in the therapy world depending on who you speak with. The way I use “complex trauma” is simply to mean “more than one time-limited incident” (think: years of childhood emotional neglect vs. one car accident). Accordingly, complex trauma, (sometimes also referred to as C-PTSD), changes the chemistry of our bodies and the development of our brains. In a very real sense, this is the mechanism of evolution. It’s how people survived for thousands of years in the wild. It’s beautiful—but it can also hold us back.

The legacy of all that trauma is vigilance. It turns us into survivors who are always looking for the worst-case scenario. What does that look like? Anxiety. Dread. Depression. Sleepless nights and a pervasive fear that we might be abandoned, neglected, or betrayed, yet again.

Turning off that fight-or-flight instinct once we’re locked in isn’t easy. After repeated exposure to trauma, our bodies are trained to live in that mode. That’s where EMDR Therapy comes in.

What is EMDR therapy?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based, results-driven form of therapy developed in the 1980s. EMDR Therapy takes advantage of a process called bilateral stimulation (rapid left-right movements of the eyes, or oscillating sounds) in order to help activate the brain’s natural ability to heal.

How does EMDR work?

woman sittng in chair with her back turned away from camera staring out a window

The goal of EMDR treatment is to reprocess traumatic experiences one-by-one, or along a thread of related incidents. With C-PTSD, that can look a lot like a tangled knot. The therapist’s job is to provide a safe space and help their client find the right threads to gently pull on. EMDR is a highly collaborative process. The therapist and client work together to process the sensations, emotions, and thoughts associated with traumatic events.

EMDR is an eight-phase process. I usually tell my clients it’s the my job as the clinician to know which phase we’re in and when and how to move us into the next phase. While some people may see results quickly, for people with C-PTSD, patience is important. More traumatic experiences simply require more therapy than one single incident (think: a car accident vs. years of childhood emotional neglect by a parent). As a result, the impact of those repeated traumas is both cumulative and layered. Resolving them takes time.

Here are the eight ‘phases’ of EMDR:

  • History Taking

  • Preparation

  • Assessment

  • Desensitization

  • Installation

  • Body Scan

  • Closure

  • Re-Evaluation

Over the course of EMDR treatment, the therapist works with the client to identify traumatic memories that are ‘locked’ in the brain, and contributing to the symptoms that are impacting their daily lives. Using bilateral stimulation, the therapist helps clients access those locked traumatic memories, which are stored in the limbic system. Our bodily sensations and five senses are closely tied to those memories. As a result, those traumatic memories are incredibly powerful. Even without realizing it, things that trigger those memories can recreate physical symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, cold sweats, and heart palpitations--the conditions of panic experienced during the trauma.

A trained professional can safely guide the reprocessing of memories during EMDR Therapy, thereby healing any associated symptoms.

Key benefits of EMDR

Most clients can expect to see some immediate benefit from EMDR, especially when we consider that EMDR is not limited to just the reprocessing phases. Oftentimes we don’t realize how tangled up our self-esteem is with those traumatic experiences. By reprocessing those memories effectively, most clients see an improvement in their self-esteem, as well as their feelings of safety and empowerment.

EMDR is commonly effective in treating some of the following symptoms of complex trauma:

  • Hypervigilance

  • Anxiety

  • Insomnia

  • Feelings of guilt or shame

  • Social anxiety

  • Intrusive thoughts

  • Chronic pain

  • Headaches

  • Nausea

  • Addiction

  • Irritability

  • Mood swings

  • Emotional numbness

  • Depression

Schedule a consultation

Reach out to schedule a consultation if you're interested in learning more about EMDR. At Sea Glass, we offer EMDR in two formats (weekly and intensive) and are proud to be a leader in bringing EMDR intensives to Ohio clients. EMDR Therapy is a flexible, effective form of treatment that can provide meaningful relief from any symptoms of complicated trauma you may be struggling with. Feel free to connect with me soon to learn more about the benefits of EMDR.

Sea Glass Counseling and Consultation is an EMDR therapy practice in Dublin, Ohio. Our compassionate, skilled therapists use evidence-based techniques grounded in the neurobiology of stress, trauma, and relationships to make sure your treatment is personalized and effective. Sea Glass therapists provide telehealth counseling in Ohio for individuals and couples. We’re best known for providing Intensive EMDR therapy, anxiety treatment, and sex therapy for Christians. Interested in working together? Contact us today to get started with a Certified EMDR therapist in Ohio.

EMDR TherapyErin Pritchard