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EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a new controversial form of therapy that has been finding some success in treatment for patients with Borderline Personality Disorder.

EMDR was developed by Francine Shapiro Ph.D., in 1987. Dr. Shapiro was in a park at the time, and thinking about some unpleasant memories. She happened to notice that when she moved her eyes back and forth, the intensity of the negative emotions of these unpleasant memories seemed to dissolve.

After the incident in the park, Dr. Shapiro followed up with intense studies on the phenomenon. In 1989, Dr. Shapiro reported that she was having success using EMDR to treat trauma patients.

Dr. Shapiro and other therapists trained in using EMDR state that only a few sessions of EMDR can do what it takes many months of traditional talk therapy to do. Especially since there are still some mental health clinicians who do not feel that traditional talk therapy assists them when treating trauma patients.

During EMDR sessions, the therapist asks the patient to think about a traumatic event and, at the same time, to move their eyes rapidly - following the movement of a finger or a pencil by the therapist. Why this seems to work, and what is actually happening during this process, is still unknown. There are some theories about this, though.

It has been learned that traumatic or painful experiences are stored in a different place in the brain than neutral or pleasant ones are. Normally, we would work through these negative experiences by talking about it, dreaming about it, etc., and we are able to put these experiences behind us.

However, many traumatic experiences seem to be "stuck" somewhere in the brain; so that even after years of talk therapy, a particular trauma and the intensity of the painful feelings associated with it could still remain the same, without change. Some people feel that the EMDR process is able to "un-stick" these traumatic experiences so that it reconnects with the healthy brain and then is reprocessed and integrated at an accelerated speed.

The theory is that the rapid eye movement (REM) in the EMDR process creates similar brain activity to the rapid eye movement (REM) that we experience when we sleep. This rapid eye movement (REM) then assists us in the processing of ideas and resolving of conflicts, so that we are able to work through things. We still retain the memory, but without the emotional pain of the event.

There was a study published in the December, 1995, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, that showed the effectiveness of EMDR treatment. In this study, 80 subjects with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder were treated with EMDR. The study seemed to show that the subjects improved significantly with this form of treatment, and further study showed that this improvement was seen for at least 15 months later.

Clinicians have noted success with this treatment not only in PTSD, but also with panic attacks, addictions, Dissociative Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, phobias, performance anxiety, stress reduction, complicated grief, and physical and sexual abuse.

Because of the effectiveness of EMDR in treating trauma patients, as well as these other areas, its use has expanded into treatment of patients with Borderline Personality Disorder.

About the Author

David Oliver is the founder of BorderlineCentral.com a one stop source of information on how to cope and deal with borderline personality disorder.

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