EMDR results are faster than traditional counseling.
Believe me, EMDR results are much faster than the methods used in traditional counseling. I was in traditional counseling for most of my life. In fact, I went to the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis for years. And while I definitely made some progress, for the most part, I still couldn’t become the person I really wanted to become. And I definitely couldn’t pry open my heart. But when it comes to EMDR, I saw results after my very first EMDR session, which was on the second visit with my therapist.
Results after my first EMDR session
Text messages causing extreme anxiety
Someone had been harassing me via texts. Every time I saw his name pop up on my phone I’d start hyperventilating. Something in me is being triggered. No clue what. But it’s so bad I feel like vomiting.
The next day my therapist and I start our first session with the memory of a conversation I’d recently had with him. The conversation is what lead to his texts. With strobes in my hands and headphones cranked up, I share the memory. My therapist coaches me on how to replace the conversation we’d had with a healthier conversation. By reliving the experience I’d had with him and creating a new scenario, my brain is able to process the subconscious feelings that his behavior was triggering in me.
The very next day he sent me another angry text. I picked up the phone, started to read the text, then set the phone back down on my counter thinking “I don’t need to read this.”
A second went by before I realized I didn’t have a reaction! None! I immediately called my therapist and shared the good news. My brain disassociated the feelings he was triggering. I was done. No more reactions to the jerkaholic.
Why are EDMR results faster?
No need for critical self awareness
To change through traditional counseling, you have to rely on your ability to be introspective and insightful. Introspection is a great thing if you want to become a better person. Insight is a great thing if you want to be mindful or empathic. But to really change quickly takes more than introspection. It takes rewiring your brain.
Since EMDR is resolving old issues held in the nervous system, it’s kind of like cleaning out your refrigerator. The old stuff has to go. Which makes way for the fresh, new stuff. And once it’s really clean, it’s easier to maintain. Sure, you’ll discover old stuff in the drawers and the far recesses. But you clean that out with EMDR anytime. And it’s all shiny and new again.
Results vary per person
Success within 5 hours
According to what I’ve read, adults who’ve experienced one incidence of trauma will typically see results in under 5 hours of treatment. Multiple trauma victims such as or victims of childhood trauma may require a longer treatment time. I belong to the latter example. My childhood trauma ran deep.
Tapering off the visits
Because I was feeling pretty desperate when I first started EMDR, I met with my therapist twice a week for treatment. And while the results were fast, we had a long way to go. After a few months I eased back to once a week then once a month, then every few months. Then COVID hit. And I haven’t seen her in months. And I’m doing just fine. Haven’t felt the need to go. Though I do really enjoy it.
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