EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing)

EMDR is a vehicle to reduce or offload traumatic events.

Define traumatic events. Big "T" traumas encompass tragic losses, sexual assaults, catastrophic situations, combat, and more. These are usually identified as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) inducing memories. PTSD means instead of an event being worked through in the forebrain where executive functions occur (i.e. sorting, reconciling, filing)... the event is stored in a frozen, dormant part of the brain and remains as vivid and unresolved as the day it happened. PTSD criteria usually has a cluster of symptoms such as:

1) a sense of foreshortened future: you don't see your life
extending far into the future
2) flashbacks or flashes (briefer) triggered by stimuli that
was present at the initial event (i.e. a smell, color, touch)
3) nightmares
4) inappropriate fear/alarm response (flight, fright, or freeze)
to benign events
5) depression and/or anxiety.
Dr. Francine Shapiro, the founder of EMDR discovered if the eyes moved back and forth (similar to REM sleep), while thinking about something troubling, there was deeper processing and more relief to be gained with regard to the troubling memory. She originally identified this as eye movement. Later and currently after a great deal of research on the brain and trauma resolution, it is now more accurately defined as Bilateral Brain Stimulation (BBS). That is the source of treatment. Due to name recognition, EMDR continues to be the moniker for this treatment. EMDR is also considered a "rapid information" process. This means is doesn't monkey-bar from one thought to the next thought, to the next, etc. Instead it is a lot like time lapse photography of thunderhead clouds moving by swiftly.


Small "t" trauma is defined as less obvious, yet developmentally harmful events that occurred, particularly during childhood. Just as Piaget outlined what physical, mental and emotional developmental milestones were reached each year of growth, so were there "emotional dings" that happened, and due to the disturbing aspects of how these memories were stored maturation was stunted and by the time emancipation happened (typically 18 years old), adulthood was reached without the full emotional adult response to life and situation. The hurt child or adolescent was still reacting. From there we go on to "marry" our critical fathers to try and win the emotionally unavailable love that was withheld, or we think it is okay to hurt ourselves
with substances or gambling. Many or most of our decisions are made out of fear. Fear=victim=paralysis. Or we continue to accept our parent's definition of who we are and often, what's wrong with us. I have also called this an "illness identity". If resolved, and off loaded, anyone can move towards a whole "wellness identity" that is more current, accurate, and up to date representation of how we've evolved over our adult years.

Earlier I referenced my great Clinical Director, Cal Boswell, from Albuquerque, his impression and evidence stating that trauma is potentially at the root of most addiction and many mental health issues, is well supported by this interesting article on trauma. This article is on the neurobiological effects of trauma and the effectiveness of a body-oriented psychotherapeutic approach.

The above mentioned EMDR model was developed by a Canadian practitioner named Maureen Kitchur. She perfected a way to use trauma treatment to systematically go through a childhood and identify the developmental woundings and resolve them to allow a person to come into their fully adult emotional self to make more informed decisions and to cope with life's challenges more maturely; with wisdom you might say; less acting out old hurts. Maureen Kitchur's model is called Strategic Developmental Model.