How to Understand EMDR Therapy for Childhood Trauma
What is EMDR therapy for children? Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR for short, is an effective treatment for trauma. Not only is this a popular therapy for adults, but also for children. This therapy is used to help children process traumatic memories and emotions.
How does EMDR therapy for children work? In a nutshell, the process involves recalling specific memories while being tapped on alternating sides of the body or moving the eyes from side to side. In time, the memory becomes less emotionally charged, allowing the child to process the traumatic event and heal.
In this article, you can get answers to common questions about EMDR therapy for children, including how child EMDR therapy works, who can benefit from EMDR therapy, and what to expect when your child starts EMDR therapy.
What is EMDR Therapy for Childhood Trauma?
Trauma often leaves people feeling “stuck” in the past, reliving painful memories, emotions, and even physical sensations. EMDR therapy is a type of psychotherapy offered by a trained therapist with the goal of processing trauma and moving forward. Several steps are involved in EMDR therapy, with the key feature being bilateral stimulation.
Bilateral stimulation can include rapid eye movement, tapping on the child’s legs or shoulders, visual cues, or vibrating handheld devices. For children, tapping is the most common method used, but the therapist will work with the child to determine which form of bilateral stimulation he or she is most comfortable with. The stimulation alternates from the left and right side and is meant to help the child focus on the present while recalling painful memories from the past.
How Does EMDR Therapy for Children Work?
How EMDR therapy works is a bit of a mystery, but numerous clinical trials support its effectiveness. The idea is that EMDR therapy affects the area of the brain that stores memories by helping the patient work through the traumatic event.
Traumatic experiences disrupt normal memory formation, which can lead to flashbacks, strong emotional reactions, disturbing thoughts, and physical symptoms like body aches, sleep disturbances, and more—this is called PTSD.
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, causes people to relive traumatic experiences, and many times, they cannot move on without professional therapy. Not only does EMDR therapy help the patient process memories, but it can also overwrite the negative effects with positive ones.
For example, trauma might make a child feel unsafe or unlovable. The goal of EMDR therapy would be to help the child process what happened to them and replace these harmful ideas with the opposite: they are safe, and they are loveable.
Who Can Benefit from EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy can help anyone with trauma, including children as young as 2 years old. Depending on the child’s age, the therapist will simplify the process while maintaining its key components. So, even if the child does not fully understand what happened, they can benefit from this therapy. The therapy can continue through multiple sessions for as long as the child requires.
If you’re a parent or guardian, and you want to know if your child or teen can benefit from EMDR therapy, then the best thing to do is schedule an initial appointment to get more information. This therapy isn’t best for every scenario, but in the right circumstances, it can be very beneficial. Most of the time, two sessions are all it takes to determine whether EMDR therapy will be effective for your child.
More FAQs When Starting EMDR Therapy for Your Child
Starting a new therapy can be intimidating, especially when your child is involved. If you have more questions, then don’t hesitate to ask. In the meantime, here are more commonly asked questions that parents and caretakers have about EMDR for children:
- How long do EMDR sessions for children take? That depends on the child’s age and ability to tolerate the therapy comfortably. A typical session can take anywhere between 15–90 minutes.
- How many EMDR sessions will my child need? The number of sessions of EMDR therapy a child needs ranges from six to twelve on average for a single incident trauma. More sessions may be needed for preparation and support.
- How can the family get involved? Family involvement is important. First, the therapist will meet with the family to gain a full picture of what the child went through. Counseling for the family might also be offered, and the methods learned during EMDR therapy can be performed at home with the help of a parent or caretaker.
Find a Professional for EMDR Christian Counseling in Raleigh, NC
Are you interested in EMDR therapy from a Christian perspective? If you’re looking for Christian therapists in Raleigh who provide professional EMDR therapy, then Sojourner Counseling can help. We incorporate biblical ideas throughout the various phases of the therapeutic process, and we can tailor the sessions to meet the needs of your child or teen. Contact us anytime to learn more about why we are trustworthy Christian counselors in Raleigh for EMDR therapy.