EMDR Therapy, or Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy, is a relatively new form of therapy, developed in the 1980s. It is highly effective in treating various mental health issues. This therapy is used to treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and addiction. If a patient is feeling stuck in some aspect of their life, EMDR can also be helpful in helping that person develop more clarity around what is holding them back, allowing them to move forward. EMDR therapy can be completed in a relatively short amount of time when compared to traditional forms of psychotherapy, which can go on for years. This blog post will discuss how many sessions you may need for EMDR therapy and what to expect from the treatment process.
You may be wondering how many EMDR therapy sessions you’ll need.
EMDR therapy is a powerful treatment that can help resolve various issues. It’s been helpful for trauma, anxiety, depression, and more.
If you’re looking for relief from your symptoms, EMDR therapy may be the right choice. With the help of a qualified therapist, you can work through your issues and find long-term relief.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment and learn more about EMDR therapy!
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing
A therapeutic modality that helps patients process traumatic events while also undergoing bilateral stimulation (usually eye movements.) It is linked to a decrease in the emotional intensity and vividness of the traumatic memories. This therapy is called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR therapy.
Clinical data suggests that the standardized EMDR Therapy, which includes eye movements or other rhythmic left-right (bilateral) stimulation, induces an accelerated learning process. Clients focus on the traumatic memory while also receiving bilateral stimulation (BLS), which lessens the vividness and intensity of the recollection.
How many sessions for EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy session is a form of individual therapy typically delivered once weekly or bi-weeky for at least 12-20 sessions; however many patients require significantly more EMDR sessions to fully process their trauma, particularly if it is complex PTSD.
EMDR sessions for treating PTSD
The eight EMDR treatment phases of EMDR Therapy are as follows:
- Phase 1: Gathering background information
- Phase 2: Setting up the client
- Phase 3: Evaluating the target memory
- Phases 4-7: Processing the memory to an adaptive resolution
- Phase 8: Assessing the effectiveness of the therapy
Although every person’s response to Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment is unique, a typical session lasts for 50 minutes. There are eight stages to the Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy procedure:
Phase 1: Patient history and treatment planning
Before starting EMDR therapy, the EMDR Therapist will assess the client during the first few sessions. Preparation Phase 1’s main objective is to discover as much as possible about the patient in the EMDR process, notably how well they can —stand extended exposure to upsetting memories..
They will also assess if their patients are multiple or single trauma victims. In contrast, they will decide on the treatment plan suitable for the EMDR Therapy and overall EMDR process.
Phase 2: Get ready for EMDR Therapy
After the treatment planning phase, the EMDR therapist will continue to develop trust and rapport with the patient. For the desired result, there must be trust between the patient and the Therapist.
When the EMDR session starts, the Therapist will review coping strategies with the patient, including physical sensations like hand signals or body sensations like gestures for the professional to stop if it gets too much.
Phase 3: Patient evaluation
In this phase, the EMDR Therapist will work with the patient to pinpoint the traumatic event or a specific traumatic memory. The therapist will assist the patient in identifying the negative belief about themselves related to the traumatic memory. The therapist will also assist the patient in developing a positive belief they would rather have about themselves, related to the traumatic event and will scale both in terms of believes in terms of how upsetting the negative belief feels and how true the positive belief feels.
Phase 4: Desensitisation
Through eye movements (BLS – Bilateral Stimulation) and a focus on the negative belief of self related to the traumatic event, the EMDR therapist assists patients in processing their thoughts and feelings about the event.
Phase 5: Installation
Instilling positive beliefs and boosting the person’s general strength are the objectives throughout this phase. The aim is to help the patient deal with trauma triggers that may cause emotional shut down or dissocatiate. The purpose is not to help the patient forget the experience.
Phase 6: Patient Body Scan
The therapist will ask the patient to scan their body for any negative feelings in their body related to the trauma. If there is anything left in the body, the patient will bring their attention to that area while completing more BLS, until the disturbing feelings have resolved from the body.
Phase 7: Therapy completion
There is a closing portion after each EMDR therapy session. This treatment plan ensures the patient leaves each session feeling better, lighter, and more upbeat about the present and the future.
Phase 8: Re-evaluation of the patient
A re-evaluation will occur at the start of the next EMDR session. The therapist will assess the patient’s psychological condition by discussing with the patient how they think the EMDR process is going and ensuring the negative belief is no longer disturbing and the positive belief still feels completely true.