I am a skeptic at heart when it comes to many theories and evidence based practices in the field
of mental health because so much of its history and current research is rooted in systems of
oppression and bad science. I approached EMDR, like a lot of other evidence based therapy
techniques, with my eyebrows raised.
I stumbled into EMDR through a free training that was offered at the clinic where I used to work.
I had heard about it through friends, supervisors, and coworkers who offered me a range of
opinions on EMDR. Some loved it and said it really helped them, and others thought it was a
fake kind of therapy. It seemed hard to believe to me that moving parts of your body in rhythm
could provide relief from traumatic experience. In response to my skepticism, my first EMDR
trainer told me that she had the same concerns when she started practicing and basically told me
not to knock it till I tried it.
I did try it, as a client and as a clinician, and what I found was hard for me to argue with. I saw
clients who had been working on the same issues and painful experiences in therapy for years,
who felt “stuck,” tell me that they felt more at peace after EMDR. I have seen it provide relief
from the impacts of trauma in deep and profound ways. I experienced that for myself as well.
EMDR is not a cure-all miracle, but it is a useful therapeutic tool that draws on clients’ strengths
and innate healing capacity to provide relief from difficult experiences. I am so glad for this
opportunity with Seattle EMDR associates to use EMDR as a central modality in my practice
because I believe it can be such an effective tool for treating lots of different mental health
concerns.
The ethos of EMDR is one that I am aligned with as well. EMDR relies on a connection between
our bodies and our mental and emotional experiences, which is powerful because so many of us
have been socialized to disconnect or even ignore our bodies so much of the time. I have seen
and experienced the ways that this disconnection can further entrench painful emotional
experiences in our lives. The practice of increasing awareness of our bodies and their connection
to our mental/emotional experience is growing more popular in the field of mental health and in
my work as well because it is key for so many people in finding greater peace and self-
understanding.
