EMDR: When the Past Still Lives in the Present
Dr Magdalena Mosanya
Everyone has experienced a stressful event at some point. It might have been a minor incident, like spilling coffee on your shirt just before an important meeting, or something more significant, such as a car crash. Fewer people have gone through major distressing situations such as natural disasters, violence, or war. Traumas, big or small, can accompany us throughout our lives. Everyone sometimes feels sad, unhappy, or inadequate. However, prolonged negative moods can reduce quality of life and make it unbearable, especially if that disposition isn’t relevant to your current situation. If your life is well established, your depression or other types of low moods might be an effect of past traumatic experiences. It might even feel like they are long gone, but part of you seems still frozen in the past.
Most people can cope with stressful and distressing experiences using their inherent coping mechanisms. Most of us would therefore agree with familiar statements such as “Time heals wounds” and “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Yet, if we look closely at our lives, we may find events we have forgotten, do not consider traumatic, or, in some cases, have successfully repressed. If our minds have processed these experiences and placed them safely in the “past” section of our memory, that is a good thing. However, sometimes the brain’s ability to integrate and process an experience can be disrupted, leaving certain emotions, sensations, or thoughts unprocessed. In such cases, later in our present life, we may find it difficult to deal with everyday stressors. During intense moments, our mind may return to those forgotten or insufficiently processed events or feelings and experience them as if they were still present. We may therefore be unconsciously triggered by relatively small events and experience emotions connected to much bigger experiences from the past all over again.
Trauma can take different forms
In general, we often distinguish between two types of trauma. There are Traumas with a capital “T”- colossal events that can cause significant distress, such as catastrophes, natural disasters, physical abuse, violence, or life-threatening events. These experiences are usually more easily recognised as traumatic and may be associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). People experiencing such major traumatic events are often met with compassion and appropriate care.
There are, however, traumas of a different nature that are experienced more subjectively. People going through difficult relationships, psychological or emotional abuse, bullying, workplace harassment, or prolonged distress may react in ways that are similar to people who have experienced a major traumatic event. These experiences may significantly interfere with a person’s health and wellbeing. Subjective trauma may not be visible or recognised by significant others or even by the person themselves. Yet the powerful emotions associated with these experiences can negatively affect self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy, and therefore impact many areas of life. These unprocessed emotional experiences may contribute to anxiety, phobias, difficulties with acceptance, strong cognitive dissonance, and dissociative responses in both children and adults.
So, what is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is one of the most researched forms of psychotherapy, with a substantial scientific evidence base supporting its effectiveness, particularly in the treatment of trauma and PTSD. EMDR incorporates eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation into the therapeutic process. The approach aims to support the processing and integration of distressing memories and experiences. It considers the interaction between cognition, emotions, and physiological responses, rather than viewing a difficult experience from only one perspective. EMDR involves the therapist and client working together on the person’s memories, emotions, thoughts, bodily sensations, and beliefs associated with the experience. Importantly, EMDR is more than eye movements. It is a structured and phased psychotherapy approach that includes history-taking, preparation, assessment, reprocessing, installation of more adaptive beliefs, attention to bodily responses, and evaluation of progress.
The therapeutic relationship is also fundamental. A safe and trusting relationship between therapist and client provides the foundation for this work. EMDR should be conducted by appropriately trained mental health professionals who can assess whether it suits an individual and adapt treatment to their needs. Trauma is complex, and healing is not a race. Sometimes the most important first step is not processing a traumatic memory, but creating enough safety and stability for the person to be ready to do so. Ultimately, EMDR offers a possibility that can be deeply meaningful: the past can remain part of our story without continuing to dictate how we experience the present.
