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EMDR Therapy, A Treatment for PTSD

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In opposition to most therapies aimed at specifically changing the stressful experienced

impulses, thoughts, and reactions, EMDR therapy is directed at the memory, seeking to modify

the mind's mind, reduce and minimize the problem. Eye Movement Desensitization and

Reprocessing (EMDR) is a mental procedure used to treat experimental conditions and cognitive

problems induced by unpleasant or upsetting life events. EMDR has been and is now being

extensively researched as a controversial treatment(Shapiro, 2014). The use of EMDR has

generated many striking statements. EMDR can take just a few sessions, while specific

conventional therapies can take years to effectively alleviate people's issues(Lee et al., 2003). A

relatively recent, unconditional method of psychotherapy is Eye movement desensitization and

reprocessing (EMDR).

It is becoming more common, specifically for posttraumatic stress disorder treatment

(PTSD). PTSD also happens during experiences like war, rape, or car crashes. This does not rely

on speech therapy or medicines. The EMDR uses the quick, rhythmic eye motions of its patient

instead. These eye motions amplify the influence of reminders of previous painful experiences

thought-provoking (Shapiro,2017). EMDR emerged in 1987 when Francine Shapiro

inadvertently learned while strolling through a park in Los Gatos, California, whereby eye

gestures reduced her memory's negative feelings (Shapiro,2001). After realizing this, she tested it

and saw that it had the same effect on people. The eye motions were not the first element that

created the therapeutic influence, she realized. Shapiro has introduced a cognitive feature and has

developed a primary method. She called the new protocol Eye Movement Desensitization

(E.M.D.).

To assess the efficacy of E.M.D., she had to do many studies and evaluating the data. In

1989, Shapiro's first randomized review was conducted on the therapy of E.M.D. on
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posttraumatic stress disorder. In 1991 she renamed it to Desensitization and Reprocessing Eye

movement from E.M.D. (EMDR). She renamed it to reflect on the insights and improvements

through recovery. The expression "experimental" was disassociated with EMDR in 1995 after

most randomized trials were published and the first manual explaining the process was released.

This explained her theory of the Accelerating Information Processing (A.I.P.) paradigm in detail

in this book. The previously applied limitations on qualified EMDR practitioners have been

abolished because of its independent help in the study and professional practices articulated and

reported in this report. Other physicians who had not previously practiced in the model were now

able to train from EMDR trained doctors.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a successful therapy to

alleviate trauma and has been verified in well-controlled circumstances for a positive outcome.

This offered an opportunity to discuss the functioning of EMDR. These studies have also refuted

the concept of "bilateral stimulation;" turning the eyes up and down has the same effect as

horizontal eye movement, therefore requiring no movement of the eye (van den Hout,2012). It is

necessary, however, to keep the dual-task in mind. Various forecasts may be obtained from the

explanation of cognitive ability for the EMDR movement. These appear to support crucial

experimental experiments very well and explain how eye movements function.

When people speak about the neural mechanisms of EMDR, they usually talk more about

the eye movement process (E.M.). The fact that EMDR is more than E.M. is always ignored.

EMDR is a standardized eight-phase protocol that focuses on distressful memory issues over a

"pack" of approx. Twenty-four seconds while also participating in a dual emphasis (DA) or

bilateral auditory or tactile stimulus (B.L.S.). After each package, the customer is asked what

materials are available to him, and the next EM/BLS set focuses on this elegant relationship.
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Other protocols assessed topic anxiety (SUD; 0=no disturbance;10= worst potential distortion)

and the resulting optimistic self-confidence cognition (V.O.C.;1= entirely null, 7= fully valid) to

ensure consistency of the improvements in customer memory perception.

The time required for the whole procedure depends on the client's experience. A three-

part regimen to alleviate the symptoms and resolve the entire clinical imagery needs complete

attention to the objectives: Memories of previous times, current turmoil, and future behavior.

EMDR therapy aims to fully process the events that cause difficulties and provide new

experiences necessary for total health. "Processing" doesn't involve speaking. "Processing"

requires establishing a learning state to "digests" and properly storing events that cause

complications in the brain. That ensures that what's helpful to you from an encounter can be

learned, preserved in your brain, and guided constructively in the future through acceptable

emotions.

Each client's individual needs are critical to be aware of: while EMDR therapy will result

more quickly than primary modes of treatment, the pace is not the problem. For example, it may

take weeks for a person to get enough confidence (phase 2). Simultaneously, the other will

progress immediately over the first six therapy stages to show something much more significant

than the treatment required.

It takes between 60 and 90 minutes for a standard EMDR therapy session. EMDR

therapy should be used as an appendix with a separate psychiatrist or entirely separate procedure

within a traditional talk therapy. The EMDR therapy includes eight different stages: initial

discovery and preparing of history, training, review, desensitization, assembly, body scan, close-

off, and re-evaluation.

Phase 1: History and planning of treatment

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At the beginning of treatment, this period usually lasts 1-2 sessions and can occur during

therapy, mainly if new difficulties arise. The psychiatrist takes a detailed background and

establishes a therapy strategy within the first phase of EMDR therapy. This phase would include

a review of the real issue, the conduct, and the symptoms resulting from this problem. From that

information, The therapist shall formulate a therapy plan which outlines the primary objectives

for EMDR: the past event(s) that caused the issue, current trauma conditions, and essential skills

or habits the customer wants to learn towards their future health.

Phase 2: Preparation

The therapist teaches you some methods in this process to cope quickly with any possible

emotional distress. In general, if you can manage, you can progress to the next level. One of the

planning process's principal objectives is to build a secure bond between the therapeutic

relationship. THE PSYCHIATRIST CAN EXPLAIN the EMDR philosophy, how and what

people should expect before and after therapy. Finally, in the light of some depressive disorder

before or after a visit, the doctor can teach various coping measures to relieve himself(Eye

Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, 2021).

Phase 3: Assessment

For the customer to be successfully processed, they should access each target in a

managed and structured manner. The EMDR therapist describes various aspects of the goal. The

first step is for the patient to find a particular image or visual representation that best reflects the

target case's recollection (which was found during Phase 1. He or she then selects a conclusion

expressing a pessimistic self-conception of the case. Although the customer understands that the

argument is logically incorrect, they must rely on it. The patient then selects a compelling

message that he wants to believe in.

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Phase 4: Desensitization

This stage reflects on the customer's unsettling thoughts and feelings as assessed by the

ranking of SUDs. This process deals with all response(s) to the intended incident modifications

and their troubling aspects (including other recollections, observations, and associations) as

resolved. This phase allows for identifying and resolving related incidents that may have taken

place and are correlated with the goal. A customer will exceed his/her initial objectives and heal

beyond their expectations. The psychiatrist guides the client in sets of eye motions, tapes, or

sounds with necessary adjustments and concentration adjustments until the amount of his SUD is

reduced to none (Marich,2018).

Phase 5: Installation

This phase focuses on the constructive conviction that the customer identifies to replace

his initial negative beliefs and increase their strength. The purpose of this eye movement

desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy installation phase is to verify that the original

Positive Cognition (PC) is in place and then build a PC before the patient reports a Cognition

Validity (VOC). The psychiatrist keeps the kid with the PC and advises the kid to assess the

VOC. If the VoC is less than 7, the psychiatrist improves the VoC with a bilateral relaxation

collection (BLS). During the session after the desensitization phase, the installation phase

happens when the patient has re-processed the memories and the Subjective Unit. The therapist

will continue to use the same form of BLS during the installation phase since during the

desensitizing phase, any unanswered data is relevant.

Phase 6: Body Scan

Following the strengthening and installing of the positive cognition, the practitioner will

ask the patient to consider the initial target case and determine residual stress throughout the
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body. This step is intended to detect potential residual disturbances after the optimistic

conviction has hit a VOC of 7 and has already been reinforced and mounted. You will be asked

to close your eyes, pull up the initial incident and your constructive conviction, and search your

entire body. If something occurs, e.g., a picture, a fitness, a memory, only let the therapeutic

know that a group or groups of BLS will commence and proceed to clean up the pain. Tests of

dozens of EMDR interventions show that unanswered thoughts are physically answered. An

EMDR session is thus not seen as completed until it can bring up the initial occurrence with no

emotion. If that is so, it will rework those physical feelings.

Phase 7: Closure

Each therapy session ends. Closure means that you feel happier than you did after the

session. If the stressful target experience is not processed one day, the psychiatrist helps the

participant use a range of self-calming strategies to restore balance. The patient was under

supervision during the EMDR session, and the patient must keep being controlled outside the

therapeutic bureau.He/she also get briefings about what to anticipate in appointments, how to use

a diary to document these encounters, and how they should use calming tactics in clients' lives

from outside the therapy.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

New sessions are opened. The review stage leads the psychiatrist through necessary

recovery arrangements to deal with the concerns of the patient. Like in other forms of sound

therapy, the reevaluation phase is essential for determining recovery effectiveness over time.

While clients will experience relief nearly instantly by EMDR, eight stages of treatment are just

as vital as the completion of a whole course of antibiotic therapy (Shapiro,2004).EMDR therapy

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isn't effective until the previous experiences, the new circumstances, or they drew the skills that

even the therapist might need for future attention.

Shapiro believes that EMDR operates by interpreting and adjusting unsettling memories

and suggests that this takes place by incorporating adaptive insight into a painful

memory(Solomon and Shapiro, 2001). The specific pathways by which treatment happens are,

however, not understood. How does the knowledge transform from Shapiro's raw and

unprocessed form to "transmitted" memory? Solomon and Shapiro suggest that memory change

constitutes a neurobiological reinforcement of the unique experience of anticipating. At present,

neurobiology scientists have studied and compared the break-up and extinction processes of the

brain. In the future, we can use this experience to test the techniques of psychotherapy.

EMDR analysis and experience commonly assume that a SUD rate of 0 and a V.O.C. rate

of 7 indicate memories' processing. These values represent the painful memory of the customer.

Secondly, an improvement in those ratings involves a change in the signs of anxiety, trauma,

psychological distress, and other associated issues. To identify the relationship between SUD and

V.O.C. scores and outcomes, research is required. This is particularly true now since EMDR

research is underway to change the mechanism of intervention investigations. Whenever a study

shows that a particular variable improves SUD ratings, this does not generalize and assumes that

the symptoms have been improved in the portion (Brom,1989). Clients must examine this

partnership.

EMDR therapy aims to fully process and add new ones necessary for total health

experience that cause problems. In EMDR, intense emotional responses are desensitized and

reframed in their belief structures to meet new emotional conditions. EMDR Counseling is meant
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to give you the feelings, understandings, and experiences that contribute to positive and helpful

conduct and relationships.

EMDR therapy with much fewer side effects than prescription drugs is deemed safe. That

said, you can encounter specific side effects. EMDR counseling increases the understanding of

the way a session doesn't end automatically. This will result in illumination. It can trigger

realistic and vibrant dreams as well. PTSD is usually treated with EMDR treatment in multiple

sessions. It doesn't run all night, that means. In particular, the treatment initiation could affect

individuals who begin to cope with stressful experiences because of the increased emphasis.

A considerable amount of evidence shows that adverse lives can be the basis of various

psychological and physiological symptoms. A study on EMDR therapy shows that recalling such

events quickly improves depressive thoughts, perceptions, and physical feelings. Potential uses

for people with stress-related illnesses and those with various physical disabilities have been

identified in reports. People can also use EMDR treatments in the medical sector to help both

patients and family partners prevent and rehabilitate care. A comprehensive evaluation of

possible contributors may be carried out. Where applicable, EMDR counseling allows physicians

fast determination of the contributing cause to distressing events and effective memory retrieval

to solve the issue and enable both psychological and physical resolution.
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References

Brom, D., Kleber, R. J., & Defares, P. B. (1989). Brief psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress

disorders. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 57(5), 607.

F. Shapiro & M.S. Forrest (2004) EMDR: The Breakthrough Therapy for Anxiety, Stress, and

Trauma. New York: BasicBooks.

http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus-cgi-bin/display/0-465-04301-1

Lee, Gale K, R.N., M.N., Beaton, Randal D, Ph.D., E.M.T., & Ensign, Josephine, R.N., Ph.D.

(2003). Eye movement desensitization & reprocessing. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing

& Mental Health Services, 41(6), 22-31. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/225537073?accountid=1229

March, J., & Dansiger, S. (2018). EMDR therapy and mindfulness for trauma-focused care.

Springer Publishing Company.

Shapiro, F. (2014). The Role of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Therapy in Medicine: Addressing the Psychological and Physical Symptoms Stemming from

Adverse Life Experience. The Permanente Journal, 18(1), 71–77. https://doi.org/10.7812/tpp/13-

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Shapiro, F. (2017). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic

principles, protocols, and procedures. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
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Solomon, R. M., & Shapiro, F. (2008). EMDR and the adaptive information processing model

potential mechanisms of change. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 2(4), 315-

325.

van den Hout, M. A., & Engelhard, I. M. (2012). How does EMDR work?. Journal of

Experimental Psychopathology, 3(5), 724-738.

(2021). Apa.org. https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/eye-movement-

reprocessing#:~:text=Unlike%20other%20treatments%20that%20focus