How is EMDR therapy used for post-traumatic stress?

The psychological consequences that a trauma can leave behind are capable of damaging the quality of the affected person for decades. That is why it is important to seek professional help as soon as possible, resorting to psychotherapy to intervene at the root of the problem.

In this sense, one of the most useful and effective tools used by psychologists is EMDR therapy applied in the treatment of post-traumatic stress; Let's see what it consists of.

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What is PTSD?

What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder really and what implications does it have on the health of the person who suffers from it? It is a mental health disorder that is triggered when a person experiences a terrifying and traumatic event that replays endlessly in their mind; Or you witness an experience so extreme that it changes your life forever.

This extreme episode can be of various kinds, although it is usually a situation that endangers the integrity person (such as a war, a natural disaster, a car accident, or also a physical assault or sexual).

Sometimes, the event or situation experienced does not have to put the person at risk, it is simply a traumatic experience that affects to the person experiencing it (for example, the death of a loved one, a serious car accident, or being fired from a job the person has held for long years).

PTSD can develop at any age and in people of any class or social status, however, there are some factors that predispose to having this type of psychological alterations.

Among the main risk factors for PTSD we find: Gender (women have a higher risk of developing it throughout their lives), having had traumas in childhood, having little or no social support after the traumatic event, experiencing additional stress after the event, or having a history of mental health problems or substance use drugs.

In addition to that, other factors that most predispose to having PTSD are having been through a traumatic event that lasts a long time or feeling extreme fear during the event, as well as other emotions such as helplessness or horror.

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What are the main symptoms of PTSD?

The main symptoms associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can be grouped into four large groups: Revival symptoms, Avoidance symptoms, Hypervigilance and Reactivity symptoms, and Cognitive and State of Mind symptoms. Cheer up.

1. Symptoms of revival

They are those that occur when the person re-experiences the traumatic symptoms in their mind due to something that reminds them, and these include flashbacks (a feeling of reliving the experience), nightmares, and frightening thoughts.

2. Avoidance Symptoms

They are those symptoms for which the person avoids situations or people that remind them of the traumatic event.

Some examples of this type of symptom can be: Avoiding places, events or objects that remind of the event experienced and also avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the same event.

3. Symptoms of Hypervigilance and Reactivity

They relate to nervousness and extreme vigilance that the person has at all hours after experiencing the trauma.

Some examples of this group are: Having difficulty sleeping, feeling startled by any stimulus, feeling tense or having frequent outbursts of anger.

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4. Cognitive and Mood Symptoms

They have to do with all those cognitive changes that the person experiences and those new beliefs that the person incorporates in his mind after the traumatic event.

Some examples may be: Difficulty concentrating or performing tasks that were previously easily done, feelings of guilt or remorse about what happened and difficulty remembering details of the event traumatic.

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How is EMDR therapy used for post-traumatic stress?

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, also known as EMDR for its acronym in English, is a psychological intervention that aims to promote the appearance of changes in the memory system the brain, causing the nerve cells responsible for remembering the traumatic event to interconnect with each other in a more functional way, allowing the person to fully integrate that memory without suffering emotional instability when evoking it. Of course, it is a non-invasive and totally painless therapy, based on exposure to stimuli and the performance of movements.

So that, EMDR therapy is widely used for problems related to trauma and anxietyd, such as phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, since it is not based on dialogue and the constant management of very complex ideas, it can also be applied to young children who do not yet have highly developed verbal skills.

Once the treatment has been carried out, the person does not “delete” or block the memory of the traumatic event, but evokes it without letting it make you lose control and activate a high anxiety or anguish response that encourages the emergence of flashbacks. As a consequence, the psychopathology is neutralized at its root and the effects remain in the long term.

Do you want psychotherapeutic support?

If you are interested in having psychotherapy services, contact our team.

In psychotools We have a lot of experience intervening in traumatic or anxious psychopathologies, as well as in mood disorders. The sessions can be done in person or remotely through the online format.