Who Does EMDR Work For?

Even though EMDR has been around for many years now lots of people have never heard of it or are just learning about it for the first time. Since it’s gaining in popularity let’s talk about who could benefit from this very different type of therapy.

What does EMDR help with?

EMDR was originally created as a treatment for PTSD- click here for more on what EMDR is- Since its creation in the 1980s EMDR has been found to helpful for anyone who is struggling because of stressful things they’ve experienced in the past. This can include difficulties such as:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Difficulties managing stress

• Relationship problems

• Substance use

• Parenting difficulties

• Problems with setting boundaries

• Prolonged grieving

• Impulsive or risky behaviors

• People pleasing

• Anger or irritability

What kinds of memories do you work on?

Often times people will think EMDR is probably not right for them because what they experienced might not fit into the classic definition of trauma. It’s true that memories being worked on with EMDR might not feel like they were traumatic, but they could be difficult experiences that are still impacting the quality of your life today. So while EMDR is a great fit for events thought of as quite traumatic, it is also a great fit for other experiences that might not immediately come to mind. You can think of trauma as fitting into a two different categories. The first is “big T” traumas; these are experiences that you might more commonly think of when you think of traumas such as:

• War

• Abuse

• Assault/Sexual Assault

• Military or first responder related trauma

• Having your life/life of a loved one threatened

• Witnessing a death

• Car accidents

• Natural disasters

• Medical emergencies

• Domestic violence

• Child abuse

There are also what’s called “small t” trauma’s. These are things that are less commonly thought of but can still have a major impact, especially if someone experienced them multiple times. These might include:

• Bullying

• Neglect

• Being raised by a critical, harsh or emotionally unavailable parent

• Chaos in the home

• Divorce/Separation

• A difficult supervisor, teacher, coach or religious leader

• Being a member of a high control group

• Being the child, friend or partner of a narcissist

• Living through difficult historical events (pandemic, political unrest, etc)

• Grief and loss

• Chronic health conditions

• Experiences of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia or ableism

As you can see the list potential for “small t” traumas can go on. Keep in mind that just because they’re referred to as small t traumas doesn’t mean they’re not as difficult. These experiences can have just as big of an impact as big T traumas. Small t just means that they are not the things that regularly come to mind when traumas are talked about. For more about what is a trauma you might be interested in further reading here.

Who is EMDR not a good fit for?

Aside from the fact that not everyone’s current difficulties are related to past experiences, there are some circumstances in which EMDR is probably not the most productive option to start out with. Typically this means that there are some other things to work on before starting EMDR. If someone is currently experiencing any of the following they likely need to be managed first:

• Actively suicidal or self-harming behaviors

• High levels of substance use

• Unsafe risk taking

• Active psychosis

• High levels of dissociation

• Extreme chaos in day-to-day life

• Social isolation

• Intense emotions that come on quickly and don’t return to baseline

Part of doing EMDR is remembering stressful experiences and working through the thoughts and emotions that go with them. Though doing EMDR can be so transformative, as you can imagine, it can be very challenging work at times. Because of that its important to make sure that life feels somewhat manageable. That doesn’t mean all of these areas have to be perfect to start EMDR, but there might be some work to be done first so that EMDR can be more effective. This could look like working on coping skills, starting medication or making some changes to increase social supports.

I think of trauma therapy being like building a house. You have to make sure the foundation is strong before you start on putting up walls and floors and ceilings. Its common for people to need to shore up their foundations a bit before starting on EMDR and there are many ways therapy can help people get to that point.

If you’re wondering if EMDR might be a good fit for you feel free to reach out here!