How Is EMDR Therapy Used For Post-traumatic Stress Disorder?
The psychological consequences that a trauma can leave behind are capable of damaging the quality of the affected person for decades. That is why it is important to seek professional help as soon as possible, resorting to psychotherapy to intervene at the root of the problem.
In this sense, one of the most useful and effective tools used by psychologists is EMDR therapy applied in the treatment of post-traumatic stress ; Let’s see what it consists of.
What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder really and what implications does it have on the health of the person who suffers from it? It is a mental health disorder that It is triggered when a person experiences a terrifying and traumatic event that is repeated incessantly in their mind ; Or he witnesses an experience so extreme that it changes his life forever.
This extreme episode can be of various kinds, although it is usually a situation that endangers the physical integrity of the person (such as a war, a natural disaster, a car accident or also a physical or sexual assault).
Sometimes, the event or situation experienced does not have to put the person at risk, it is simply a traumatic experience that affects the person who experiences it in a very personal way (for example, the death of a loved one, an accident serious with the car or dismissal from a job that the person has had for many years).
PTSD can develop at any age and in people of any class or social class, however, there are some factors that predispose them to having this type of psychological alterations.
Among the main risk factors for PTSD we find: Gender (women are at greater risk of developing it throughout their lives), having had trauma in childhood, having little or no social support after the traumatic event, suffering additional stress after the event or have a history of mental problems or drug use.
In addition to that, other factors that most predispose to having PTSD are having been through a traumatic event that lasts a long time or feeling extreme fear during the event as well as other emotions such as helplessness or horror.
What are the main symptoms of PTSD?
The main symptoms associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can be grouped into four large groups: Reliving Symptoms, Avoidance Symptoms, Hypervigilance and Reactivity Symptoms, and Cognitive and Mood Symptoms.
1. Symptoms of Revival
They are those that occur when the person re-experiences the traumatic symptoms in their mind due to something that reminds them and these include flashbacks (feeling of reliving the experience), nightmares, and frightening thoughts.
2. Symptoms of Avoidance
They are those symptoms for which the person avoids situations or people that remind them of the traumatic event.
Some examples of this type of symptoms may be: Avoiding places, events or objects that are reminiscent of the event experienced and also avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the same event.
3. Symptoms of Hypervigilance and Reactivity
They are related to nervousness and extreme vigilance that the person has at all hours after experiencing the trauma.
Some examples of this group are: Having difficulty sleeping, feeling startled by any stimulus, feeling tense or having frequent outbursts of anger.
4. Cognitive and Mood Symptoms
They have to do with all those cognitive changes that the person experiences and those new beliefs that the person incorporates into their mind after the traumatic event.
Some examples may be: Difficulty concentrating or performing tasks that were previously done easily, feelings of guilt or remorse for what happened, and difficulties remembering details of the traumatic event.
How is EMDR therapy used for post-traumatic stress disorder?
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, also known as EMDR, is a psychological intervention that aims to promote the appearance of changes in the brain’s memory system, making the nerve cells responsible for remembering the traumatic event interconnect with each other in a more functional way, allowing the person to fully integrate that memory without suffering emotional instability when evoking it. Of course, it is a non-invasive and totally painless therapy, based on exposure to stimuli and the performance of movements.
So that, EMDR therapy is widely used for problems linked to trauma and anxiety d, such as phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, since it is not based on dialogue and the constant management of very complex ideas, it can also be applied to young children who do not yet have highly developed verbal skills.
Once the treatment has been carried out, the person does not “delete” or block the memory of the traumatic event, but it evokes it without letting it make you lose control and activate a high anxiety or anguish response that encourages the emergence of flashbacks. As a consequence, psychopathology is neutralized at its roots and the effects remain long-term.
If you are interested in having psychotherapy services, contact our team.
In Psychotools We have a lot of experience intervening in traumatic or anxious psychopathologies, as well as mood disorders. Sessions can be done in person or remotely through the online format.
