How EMDR Therapy Can Help Eating Disorder Treatment
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It was developed by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D and is recommended by the American Psychiatric Association.
EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing): EMDR is “a structured therapy that encourages the client to briefly focus on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the traumatic memories.” Unlike traditional therapy modalities, EMDR does not involve a whole lot of talking.
EMDR in Orange County, CA is about accessing and processing traumatic memories so that they don’t continue to cause distress.
In an EMDR session, a therapist trained in the modality directs the client’s eye movement as they are processing a memory. In addition to hand-directed eye movement, EMDR can also involve other forms of bilateral stimulation, including tapping and different tones.
Bilateral stimulation decreases physiological arousal, allows you to easily shift your thoughts instead of remaining stuck, puts distance between you and the issue you are dealing with, and decreases worry.
How Does EMDR in Orange County, CA Work?
There are 8 phases of the EMDR therapy process:
Phase 1:
To start, the therapist works with the client to develop a treatment plan by assessing their memories and identifying ones that will be EMDR targets.
Phase 2:
Next, the therapist equips the client with tools for coping with the emotional distress the EMDR sessions cause.
Phase 3-6:
This is when the actual EMDR therapy begins. The client will identify imagery related to the traumatic memories, a negative belief about themself, and any related emotions and body sensations. The idea is to replace negative beliefs, feelings, and sensations associated with the imagery with new, positive associations.
Phase 7:
After each EMDR session, the client will be asked to keep a log of everything, including the techniques they learned for dealing with distress.
Phase 8:
EMDR is not meant to be long-term, so the therapist will evaluate progress after a few sessions.
What Is Trauma?
When we typically think of trauma, things like physical abuse and major accidents come to mind. Yet, even common experiences like divorce, a toxic work environment, the death of a pet, and bullying can be experienced as trauma.
Trauma is Broken Down Into Different Types:
Acute trauma-
This results from a single incident such as a car accident, catastrophic weather event, or sudden death of a loved one.
Chronic trauma-
The trauma results from incidents that have occurred repeatedly in a person’s life, including:
Long-term child abuse
War or combat situations
Ongoing sexual abuse
Living in a domestically violent environment
Developmental trauma-
This trauma results from a single incident of trauma like a divorce or can result when a child is exposed to chronic trauma like emotional neglect. Adverse childhood experiences include chronic abuse, neglect, or other harsh adversity in their own dysfunctional homes. When a child or adolescent is exposed to overwhelming stress and their caregiver does not help reduce this stress, or is the cause of the stress, the child experiences developmental trauma.
Adults who experienced developmental trauma in childhood are at risk for developing Complex Trauma, C-PTSD, or relational trauma. Relational trauma can also be experienced in adulthood. Some examples include intimate partner violence such as physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, and even toxic work environments.
How Can EMDR Be Used In Eating Disorder Treatment?
EMDR can help you identify and process past experiences of trauma, abuse, neglect, or other adverse events that may have contributed to the development of your eating disorder behaviors. For example, you may have experienced teasing or bullying related to your weight or appearance, which may have led to negative beliefs such as "I'm unloveable" or "I'm unattractive." These beliefs can then fuel disordered eating behaviors, such as restricting food intake or overeating.
By desensitizing you to the traumatic experiences underlying your eating disorder, EMDR can help with challenging negative beliefs that resulted from these experiences. By addressing these underlying issues, you may be better able to develop healthier coping mechanisms and reduce the urge to engage in disordered eating behaviors.
The brain’s left hemisphere houses self-control, and the right hemisphere is where we get our self-regulation.
EMDR’s bilateral stimulation can help alleviate fixations related to food and body image, by increasing right hemisphere activation.
The EMDR process can dredge up painful memories. You may leave a session feeling more triggered than before, so it’s important to remember that you have the power of self-determination in your therapy sessions. You can decide to stop the EMDR treatment at any time. In fact, you may choose not to revisit trauma again in your sessions. How you address trauma and other challenges in therapy is entirely up to you.
EMDR is often part of a comprehensive treatment plan for eating disorders, which may also include nutritional support, as well as other types of therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and family therapy.
EMDR Therapy In California
Kindful Body therapist Courtney Fazli, LMFT practices EMDR with clients. She was drawn to the modality after her own ‘life-altering’ experience with EMDR therapy. “It really helps with the mind-body connection and allows you to sit through the feelings, whatever they may be.”
Kindful Body’s clinical director Samantha Young, LPCC is also an EMDR therapist.
Contact us for a free consultation to determine whether EMDR might be right for you. From there, we will match you with a trauma therapist who best fits your needs.
Begin PTSD Treatment and Trauma Therapy in San Francisco, CA
Dealing with painful memories is much easier said than done. Our team of caring therapists understands the time it can take to address these, and we would be happy to offer support with EMDR and other eating disorders. You can start your therapy journey with Kindful Body by following these simple steps:
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with our client care coordinator or call (415) 323- 6755.
Connect with a caring therapist or dietitian.
Start receiving the support you deserve!
Other Services Offered With Kindful Body
Our team understands you may experience more than one mental health concern at a time. This is why we offer multiple mental health services in addition to EMDR treatment. We are happy to also offer support for low self-esteem issues, anxiety treatment, and body image. We also offer trauma therapy and grief counseling. When you’re ready, we are here to help you with your eating disorder recovery. We also offer eating disorder treatment in Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland/Berkeley, Walnut Creek, San Mateo, Orange County, CA, or anywhere online in California. Learn more about us by checking out our blog and FAQs page!