Can EMDR Help With Depression?
(Written by Angelica Nevarez, MA) (Photo by Francesco Baldan on Unsplash)
Depression literally means “to push down” and the productivity-obsessed world that we live in can encourage us to push down our feelings, needs, and thoughts. The culture in the United States emphasizes that we should all be functioning as productive members of society and there is less emphasis on functioning as healthy human beings. This is certainly a major factor as to how depression has become one of the most common mental health issues in the United States. Depression may show up for you as persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, lack of interest, irritability, low self worth, and difficulty with energy, sleep, concentration, or appetite. However, it can also present in less common ways which can make it difficult to identify if you may be experiencing depression. Depression can negatively impact relationships, work performance, beliefs about yourself, and ability to care for yourself. Additionally, depression is a leading cause of suicide. Therefore, accessing treatment for depression is crucial to ensuring the safety and health of our communities.
Current research suggests that Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective form of treatment for those diagnosed with clinical depression. Additionally, research supports that depression is directly linked to early life stressors along with stress and traumatic experiences later in life. EMDR focuses on identifying and resolving the root cause of depression rather than just providing coping skills to manage mood. EMDR is informed by the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model which states that mental, emotional, and physical imbalance is the result of overwhelming life experiences that were not adequately processed and maladaptively stored in the brain. These maladaptively stored life experiences can often present as negative thought, emotion, and behavior patterns. EMDR also reduces the intensity of negative beliefs that often impact those struggling with depression. Negative beliefs which I commonly hear among clients experiencing depression are “I’m not good enough”, “I’m a failure”, “I’m unloveable”, “I’m helpless”, “It’s my fault”, and other beliefs that contribute to depressing feelings like shame and guilt. EMDR taps into the brains’ natural healing processes which allows us to access adaptive, positive insights which we don’t have access to when there is a build up of maladaptively stored life experiences. The goal of EMDR in the treatment of depression is to identify and reduce any disturbing thoughts, emotions, and body sensations which contribute to depression.
Depression can severely limit our capacity to feel connected to ourselves, others, and the world around us and it is no wonder that this lack of connection can drive many people to commit suicide as we are all biologically wired to need connection. I believe that reclaiming your life after struggling with depression starts with re-connecting with oneself, recovering what has been pushed down inside of us, allowing whatever those things are to be truly felt and seen. Many clients that have come to see me have described their depression as being “treatment resistant” as they have tried several types of therapy and medication with no relief. Through EMDR treatment, I have had the honor of seeing clients that previously struggled through years of depression begin to develop a new sense of confidence, motivation, and hope for the future.
If you’re interested in learning more about EMDR, I’d love to connect with you! I can be reached at angelica@seaemdr.com
