How EMDR Can Help Heal Childhood Trauma
You’ll probably be surprised to learn that about 70 percent of children are impacted by trauma. That’s how many of them will endure at least one traumatic event before the age of 18. Of course, trauma is a nightmare for anyone at any age. However, for children who have not yet developed the psychological skills to process such an experience, the event can be impactful enough to influence their cognitive and emotional development.
So, what can be done for this late population of adults still seeking a resolution to the experiences imposed upon them? Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing could be their best option.
Causes and Symptoms of Childhood Trauma
Childhood trauma, also known as an adverse childhood experience (ACE), comes in many forms. Here are some of the most common:
- Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
- Losing a loved one (death, separation, incarceration, etc.)
- Neglect
- Abandonment
- Sexual trafficking and prostitution
- Being exposed to domestic violence or substance abuse
- Dealing with injury, illness, or disability
- Living in a war zone
Such brutal realities can cause progressive signs and symptoms like this:
- Very young children: Skittish, unpredictable moods and crying spells, sleep issues, separation anxiety, and more.
- School-age kids: Anxiety becomes their baseline as they struggle to focus on academic work while trying to deal with the guilt and shame caused by their experiences.
- Older children and teens: The older such a child gets, the more risky and dangerous the trauma-based behaviors become, e.g. isolation, unsafe sex, substance abuse, criminal activities, and self-harm.
How Does Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Work?
Enter EMDR. You might be wary of medications. Talk therapy may not be your thing. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing are different — very different. Before we explain the basic concept, let’s first talk about a major obstacle to healing childhood trauma.
Your brain, understandably, does not want to be reminded of the pain of the past. It will go to great extents to avoid the topic. One method of avoidance involves triggers. If you get triggered and re-triggered any time you think about the trauma you endured, it’ll work to keep your thoughts elsewhere. But, until you face the details, it is virtually impossible to process and resolve them.
EMDR is designed to place you in a state in which you can look your past in the eyes. Your EMDR therapist will move their hands and fingers in a particular way. While focusing on a painful memory, you follow those hand movements with your eyes only. This unusual procedure provides two immediate benefits:
- You, the client, can access your memories without being triggered
- Meanwhile, your therapist is helping access both hemispheres of your brain
EMDR induces a state similar to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep but you are wide awake. You’re an active participant in staring down the negative memories and replacing them with new, positive beliefs about yourself and your future. Your mind and body have always wanted to heal from the ACEs but now, you have the healthy space to do so.
How EMDR Can Help Heal Childhood Trauma
EMDR’s track record is encouraging. Sometimes, all it requires is six to eight 50-minute sessions to attain full relief from symptoms of conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). Even people who have lived through multiple ACEs can resolve trauma and thrive again. All of this typically happens in a short number of sessions with virtually no side effects.
Since EMDR is not what most people expect when they think about therapy, we urge you to reach out to talk. We would love to share more with you about the possibilities.
