A technique known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (or EMDR, for short) is a method proven effective for helping people work through trauma.
There are innumerable reasons for people to work through trauma — eradicating anxiety and depression and improving personal relationships and self-esteem being some of the benefits.
A technique known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (or EMDR, for short) is one such method that has proven effective since renowned psychologist Francine Shapiro introduced it in 1987.
A technique known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (or EMDR, for short) is a method proven effective for helping people work through trauma.
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“It’s different from traditional talk therapy, because people don’t actually have to talk about their events,” said Monica Reu, a behavioral health director with Community Health Systems in Beloit.
Reu and many of Community Health Systems’ other behavioral health clinicians have been offering EMDR as a trauma therapy technique to help people work through past circumstances and events in their lives that might have presented roadblocks toward progress over time.
EMDR is based on what the human body naturally does when a person is sleeping as rapid eye movement (REM) cycles occur. Over time, EMDR has been shown to be an effective technique to help process memories that might have become stuck over time.
“It utilizes eye movement or bilateral stimulation to allow for the brain to reprocess things that are stuck,” Reu said. “As the body wants to heal itself and work through things, the mind wants to do the same thing.”
People working through an EMDR therapy session usually undergo one of potentially several practical physical techniques that use the same principles of the human body’s use of REM sleep to file away and sort through past memories.
“The most common way is bilateral eye stimulation, or bilateral eye movement, where a therapist is essentially moving their fingers back and forth and in a person’s face, and the eyes are going back and forth as you’re thinking about what had happened,” Reu said. “You do that for a little bit of time, and then stop, and you report back on what you’re experiencing, and you do that again.”
For some people, one EMDR therapy session can unclog old traumatic memories and continue the pathway to a healing journey. For others, multiple sessions might be required. EMDR has been effective for people of all ages — from children to seniors.
In addition to the common use of finger placement and eye movements, other practical EMDR techniques have included the use of buzzers and tappers, flashing lights and the use of music or other sounds as stimulants.
Working through traumatic memories is important from a mental, emotional and physical standpoint.
Speaking to people grappling with recurring trauma, Reu said, “If I’m in a car accident, I’m constantly reliving those body sensations and those memories. If it’s not worked through, I can feel like it’s happening over and over again, even if it’s something that might have happened 20 years ago.”
A state study conducted a decade ago revealed Rock County had the highest rate of trauma in Wisconsin, based on a screener known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) that examined 10 types of traumatic events or circumstances in childhood.
The study revealed 24% of screener participants in Rock County had four or more of the conditions. By comparison, Milwaukee County, which scored 20%, ranked second.
For information on Community Health Systems’ behavioral health services programs, visit or call 608-361-0311.
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