ABC of EMDR

Sophie Madoum & Dr Danielle Dumonteil – Picture: 2014 –

EMDR : Eyes Movement Desensitization and Retroprocessing

In 2002, Francine Shapiro received the Sigmund Freund Award. David Servan-Schreiber was the president of EMDR France.

EMDR reproduces the rapid eye movements of REM sleep and relives crucial memories related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Consciousness can be fragmented into cognitions, emotions, sensations.

EMDR turns a negative emotion into a positive emotion. It promotes the appearance of emotions, and their evacuation reducing trauma.

EMDR maintains a distance with emotional content and blocks intellectualization. Eye movements facilitate communication between the two cerebral hemispheres. We move from a simple vision, dichotomous (body and mind) to a complex thought where body and mind meet, serving the alleviation of suffering and the search for well-being. Sound or tactile stimuli (hands, knees) alternating left / right are also effective.

In general, the frontal lobes control the actions (and the amygdala: sensations, impulses). Unless … emergency. Hyper-emotivity inhibits the action and the communication (reminder: the emotion lasts a few minutes, the feeling persists).

Cognitive Thinking = Intellect

Emotional Intelligence = Affect

Emotion precedes cognition. The limbic system (amygdala, hippocampus, hypophysis, hypothalamus, ..) is the center of physiological control (breathing, heart, libido, …), emotions and memories.

The left hemisphere controls: language ability, reading, writing, math and positive emotions (logic)

The right hemisphere is specialized in perception, sense of space and orientation, negative emotions (intuitive).

The right brain to imagine and predict, the left to check and build.

Neurosis is a psychological condition without alteration of the personality (conscious). Not to be confused with psychosis.

Stress scale:

Death of a child (150), death of spouse (100), divorce (73), separation of spouses (65), prison (63), illness (53), marriage (50), dismissal (47), husband’s reconciliation (45), pregnancy (44), …

 

the EMDR includes psychoanalysis (research of the past), gestalt therapy (reliving emotions), ericksonian hypnosis (free associations), CBT (parasitic thoughts).

after searching with the patient for a happy memory, remember it (anchorage).

1. Desensitization of the violent memory
2. Relation of the event to psychic functioning
3. Replacement of a disabling belief by 1 positive cognition (p93)

In practice:

1. Discover the trauma: 3 scales; emotion (memories), perception (anguish), belief
2. Right-to-left swing with 1 or 2 fingers in front of the eyes (slow then fast) 21 times
3. Evaluation of changes on the 3 scales
4. Recommend the 2nd step several times

1 to 2 weeks are sometimes necessary for the information passed from the hippocampus to the cortex by paradoxical sleep (dream phases). The sessions last 60 to 90 minutes, from 3 to 12 sessions.

Work on bereavement, illness, phobias, eating disorders (self-esteem)

I propose to find the strongest moment (take time, images, words, sounds, smells, ..). What emotions (fear, …) or felt (chest, ..) or belief (teaches you difficult, negative about you?). What positive thought you would have liked (“I want to be respected”).