Some experiences can mark a person’s life forever. Some can be positive, becoming a pleasant memory that will be cherished for a long time. However, not every experience is a kind one, and the memory can last a long time.

The effects of this bad experience can result in trauma that is difficult for some people to overcome and becomes detrimental to their lives. The memory can be so haunting that it impedes a person’s ability to live a healthy and normal life. The person can feel stuck due to their trauma for years.

However, trauma can be treated with professional help. Different methods are available to treat trauma, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

The Effects of a Traumatic Experience

Trauma can lead to detrimental effects on the brain, especially if post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms occur. The negative effects, like changes in behavior and critical thinking, can seem small compared to more significant consequences, but these are still dangerous to the development of the brain. The changes to the brain caused by trauma can physically alter the central nervous system, which can hinder a person’s life when left untreated.

Trauma can negatively impact the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Some changes that can occur include heightened fear responses from the amygdala and a decrease in the shape and functions of the prefrontal cortex. The hippocampus can also decrease in size when someone struggles with PTSD or struggles with other trauma-related disorders.

When an individual also experiences PTSD symptoms, these changes in the brain can become worse. For example, people who have PTSD can experience brain changes when their trauma is triggered by internal thoughts, feelings, or external events.

These changes can cause a person to enter a state of “stasis,” where they cannot function in their lives due to the effects of their trauma. Some people can’t think of anything other than the moment that scarred them and cannot bring themselves to find a way to change this cycle. Unfortunately, continually feeling the adverse impact of trauma is something many people who experience trauma cannot control without treatment. They might stay stuck in the cycle for a long time before seeking help.

EMDR to Heal Trauma 

EMDR is a therapeutic technique that heals people heal from various issues and mental health disorders, including:

• PTSD and other trauma-related disorders
• Anxiety
• Addictions
• Stress
• Depression

A common theme among these disorders and mental health concerns is they most often stem from trauma. This isn’t the case for everyone, but trauma is one of the reasons people struggle with addiction and other mental health issues.

As a result, those struggling need options that are effective and readily available. EMDR is a healthy choice for healing that works directly with the symptoms or emotional distress caused by trauma.

It is believed that traumatic events are stored and locked in the brain with the same perceptions that existed on that day the event transpired as if that day never ended. EMDR works by helping the client access their ability to heal the negative effects of the trauma.

How EMDR Heals the Mind

EMDR is different from other therapy modalities as it works to replace the traumatic memory with new positive thoughts and emotions. According to the National Center for PTSD, “In EMDR, you will pay attention to a back-and-forth movement or sound while you call to mind the upsetting memory until shifts occur in the way that you experience that memory and more information from the past is processed.”

EMDR covers different tactics to help create an effective end result of therapy. First, EMDR focuses on strengthening neural networks associated with emotions, cognitions, and sensations to help process traumatic memories. Resource development helps to achieve this phase, which can entail developing feelings of safety and peace, feeling love for another, and comfort. These feelings help ease the individual into slowly coming out of the dark cycle of trauma.

The second of EMDR is the Desensitization Phase. In this phase, the individual goes in between what they’re experiencing in the present while at the same time traveling back to that traumatic experience.

While this phase is going, the “eye movement” component intersects during the process. It diverts the patient’s attention from the pain that reliving the trauma causes, which helps to lessen the impact of that experience. EMDR reduces the vivid feelings traumatic experiences create while decreasing the emotional intensity that originated, resulting in a healthy and stable mind.

Mental health is something that can be hindered based on different experiences, such as trauma. The effects of traumatic experiences can last for a long time, perhaps forever, if no work is done to reduce or eliminate them. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the many options that are out there to help you heal from any traumatic experience or mental health disorder you may struggle with. At Sabino Recovery, this treatment method, alongside many different modalities, are available at our facility for your disposal. Our privately owned, family-oriented facility elicits growth and recovery by fostering a sense of empathy, trust, and connection. Our focus on trauma as a root cause of many unhealthy patterns of thinking and behavior sets us apart while treating each person as a unique individual with the philosophy that unresolved conflict can manifest in various unhealthy ways. If you or a loved one is struggling, call Sabino Recovery at (844) 227-7014.