Clinician's Corner

EMDR as an Effective Treatment for Childhood Trauma
By Regina Goodman, LCSW

Fires. Car accidents. Abuse. Injuries. These are all situations that we think of as traumatic. But for children, other more common ones can be traumatic as well: divorce, medical treatments, being bullied, seeing someone get sick. The resulting symptoms are just as debilitating, and show up as behavioral problems, feelings of helplessness, fear and powerlessness.

The good news is that EMDR has been shown to be an effective therapy in the treatment of trauma for people of all ages, including children.

What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a method of therapy that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. EMDR was developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1987, when she made the chance observation that eye movements can reduce the intensity of disturbing thoughts. She studied this effect scientifically and reported success using EMDR to treat victims of trauma. Since then it has been extensively researched and has helped an estimated two million people of all ages relieve many types of psychological stress. There are now many controlled studies supporting the use of EMDR with psychological trauma.

How does EMDR work?
Under normal circumstances, the brain takes our experiences and processes them, much as the digestive system processes food. That is, if an experience is properly digested, it is integrated into the system and supports healthful growth. However, when a person is very upset, their system goes into a state of alert and the brain cannot process information in this way. Rather, the upsetting moment becomes “frozen in time,” along with its associated images, smells, sounds, feelings, and physical sensations. As a result, the child can suffer both psychologically and physically, as if reliving the trauma every time they are triggered by any one of these associations.

EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information. That’s where the “reprocessing” comes in. The use of eye movements in the controlled setting appears to be similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. After a successful EMDR session, normal information processing is resumed and the client no longer relives the images, sounds, and feelings when the event is brought to mind. The event is still remembered, but it is less upsetting. The primary message of EMDR is that the client is intrinsically healthy: once experiences are processed with EMDR, the client can quickly return to a state of equilibrium.

What would a typical session look like?
Once it has been determined that EMDR is an appropriate treatment for your child, the therapist will meet with the child to identify a specific problem as the focus of the session. Typically, for children younger than six, the parent will be asked to be involved in the session as an observer, an informer, and a beacon of safety for your child. The therapist will ask your child to call to mind the incident, along with what was seen, felt, heard, etc., as well as what thoughts and beliefs they have about the event. For young children, the therapist will likely use creative ways to elicit these components, such as with puppets, dolls, sandtrays, or drawings. Once identified, the therapist will ask the child to “follow my fingers” as he/she moves them back and forth in front of the child’s face to elicit the eye movements. If this is too difficult for the child, audio tones, tapping on hands or feet, or hand buzzers can be used.

The child will then be asked just to “notice” what they are thinking or feeling. The eye movements (or tones or taps) are repeated until the memory becomes less disturbing. Typically, the child will express positive beliefs about themselves, such as “it wasn’t my fault” or “I did the best I could.” The memory remains, but children often report that it doesn’t bother them anymore.

What can it do for my child?
Children who have been exposed to trauma can have a host of negative reactions. You may notice them regress to behaviors common to younger children. This is because traumatic experiences can slow down development and influence the formation of their personality. EMDR can help them get past the trauma. Because the memory of the traumatic event has been cleared of it’s negative associations, it no longer impacts their beliefs about themselves and the world. Chances are you will see a great improvement in how your child feels and reacts. In short, you will “have your child back”.

Regina Goodman, LCSW, has been practicing EMDR since 2006. She welcomes new clients at the Milwaukee location of Cornerstone Counseling Services. She can be reached at 262-542-3255 ext. 323.

*EMDR should be used only by licensed clinicians specifically trained in EMDR.