Have you ever accidentally walked into a spider web? It usually goes like this:

1. realize you walked into a spider web

2. panic and flail about while untangling yourself

3. spend a while feeling phantom fibers on yourself and being certain there’s still a spider crawling in your hair

You may know logically that the spider and its web are gone, but it doesn’t feel true in your body yet. After a few moments, your brain will get the message to your nervous system that it’s ok to calm down, the threat has been neutralized, and you can go about your day. But sometimes, those messages can get stuck in our brains. Whatever our mental version of the proverbial spider web is, many of us walk around knowing things logically that don’t feel true in our nervous system. Sometimes, we need help connecting our brains to our bodies to really dismantle the web.

Here at JF&CS, we utilize Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) to do just that. Lauren Wishneff, LCSW is one of our EMDR-trained clinicians with Frances Bunzl Clinical Services, was eager to speak with us on the subject. We recently connected with her to learn more about the process, who it helps, and why it works.

Why EMDR?

While EMDR was initially developed to help people suffering from trauma, its benefits are not limited to that, said Lauren. “Studies have shown that (EMDR) is effective for depression, anxiety, phobias, low self-esteem, creativity blocks and relationship difficulties,” she said. “It’s an amazing process to be part of.”

“I believe traditional talk therapy can only go so far for some clients,” explained Lauren. In her eight plus years of experience, Lauren has helped clients with depression, anxiety, life stressors, life transitions, low self-esteem, grief, PTSD and trauma. “Many clients tell me that they know things to be true in the present rationally, but their nervous systems still feel uneasy and unsafe. EMDR ‘unfreezes’ residue of the past and allows healing to begin. Over the course of therapy, clients’ minds and bodies begin to sync up and they no longer feel their past disrupting their present.”

Additionally, EMDR is helpful because the client does not have to talk in depth about the distressing event or feeling to feel relief. “It’s a bottom-up approach, which means that it starts by activating the areas of the brain where trauma is stored: our bodies,” Lauren said.

How It Works:

EMDR works by using bilateral stimulation, which is simply defined as any back-and-forth movement that activates both sides of the brain. Some examples are following an object that moves back and forth across your field of vision (like watching a ball during a tennis match); tapping alternating hands and feet; walking; and listening to alternating sounds in each ear. While the brain is activated in this way, the clinician will then guide the client through accessing his or her difficult memories.

“This process allows the client to make connections to past, present and future events within their mind and their body,” said Lauren. While the process itself is relatively simple, it solves a complex problem.

“Imagine our brain as being made up of different hallways, rooms and filing cabinets,” said Lauren. “If our brain determines that an experience is helpful or useful to us, then it will move the memory down the hallway, into one of the rooms, and neatly store it in a filing cabinet. On the other hand, when an experience is harmful or overwhelming, the brain doesn’t always know how to store the memory. It can get ‘stuck’ in the rooms and hallways without ever making it to the filing cabinet.”

“When this happens, we don’t have a lot of control over how and when those experiences come up for us in day-to-day life,” Lauren continued, “which can be disruptive and upsetting, and cause all sorts of problems emotionally and in relationships. EMDR is a treatment that makes use of your brain’s natural organization and structures to help you appropriately store and heal from traumatic or otherwise upsetting experiences.”

Next Steps:

The goal of EMDR therapy is to reduce distressing memories so that people can function to their fullest capacity, but – like any therapy – the results depend on the individual. Healing “really depends on the client and their nervous system,” said Lauren. “Some clients notice immediate relief, whereas others may take more time.” However the client’s personal journey may unfold, it is rooted in the therapeutic relationship first.

“As a therapist, I value the connection I have with my clients, and make sure the client feels safe and connected in my presence as we embark on the therapeutic journey together,” says Lauren. “During EMDR, I am a compassionate witness and support to their healing.”

We are proud to offer EMDR and other proven modalities of therapy to clients of Frances Bunzl Clinical Services and the Horwitz-Zusman Child & Family Center. If you’re interested in learning more about EMDR or any of the other therapies we offer, please contact us at therapy@jfcsatl.org or 770.677.9474.