How does EMDR work? Can it help people recover from trauma, PTSD, addiction and other kinds of emotional health challenges?
The audio in the first segment is from the video below - a conversation between Russell Brand and actor Jameela Jamil ('The Good Place' series).
She comments: “So I did EMDR therapy…I found that very effective…
“I found with traditional therapies or even with CBT, it required me to do a lot of homework and work all the time and having to conduct which I am quite a work shy person, I didn’t appreciate having to constantly have to check myself in challenging and triggering situations.
“And what EMDR did is it it truly removed the emotion that was linked to the traumatic memory or thought process, it just sort of cut it off for me…”
She recalls what led her to this therapy:
“I had some terrible, abusive experiences in the dark as a child. And I became afraid of the dark until I was 28 years old, couldn’t sleep in the dark, couldn’t be alone in a house, had to check in every cupboard, under every bed, in every single room again, and again. And again. I had terrible OCD around like my safety.
“And I couldn’t really sleep. So sleep deprived for like, basically 28 years, which made me incredibly depressed and suicidal.
“So I went to this EMDR therapy just for that, because I decided to move to America. And I was like, I can’t go there, this afraid. I can’t spend my 30s as afraid as I’ve spent the last three decades of my life. And so I did EMDR therapy and within two sessions…”
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Psychologist Cheryl Arutt finds EMDR is a "psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders."
(The second segment in the audio is an excerpt from her TED Talk "That Good Feeling of Control".)
Dr Arutt specializes in Trauma Recovery and Creative Artist Issues, and uses EMDR to help her clients. She writes:
“Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is a powerful evidence-based trauma treatment…
“Through EMDR therapy, people are able to reprocess traumatic information until it is no longer psychologically disruptive, allowing the brain to resume its natural healing process.”
See link to transcript, a video about EMDR with Dr. Arutt, and more in article: Can EMDR Therapy Relieve Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Addiction and more?
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See more episodes (some with transcripts) and links to Spotifyl, Apple Podcasts and more: The Creative Mind Audio Podcast.
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Related Substack posts:
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See video playlist: Trauma Healing / The Creative Mind Videos - Programs and information from physicians, psychologists and others on understanding and healing from traumatic experiences.
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Can EMDR therapy help us deal with PTSD and other emotional health issues?