Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is about an important mental health therapy all first responders should know about: EMDR.
Public safety personnel are routinely exposed to a variety of gruesome and disturbing sights. Most of the time, your brain processes these images during Rapid Eye Movement (or REM) sleep. They become just another call — no big deal.
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Occasionally, however, you may find yourself with an image that just won’t go away. It can disrupt your home and your professional life. And it might be accompanied by symptoms like trouble sleeping, nightmares, and flashbacks.
For some first responders, traditional forms of talk therapy are effective in addressing these disturbances. But other people find talking about the horrible event makes things worse.
That’s where EMDR comes in. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing was developed in 1987 as a treatment for PTSD. Over the years, it has evolved to be one of the most effective and evidence-based treatments for trauma.
EMDR-trained clinicians treat trauma at a neurobiological level, in the brain. It involves minimal talking about the incident. My friends who practice EMDR tell me the bilateral stimulation they create allows the patient’s brain to organically complete the processing of the traumatic incident, similar to REM sleep.
The result? The emotional charge of the memory is reduced and, in many cases, eliminated. Many of the associated symptoms are also reduced or eliminated.
One caution. If the memory is part of an active investigation or an ongoing criminal or civil process, the EMDR therapist should consult with the prosecutors or attorneys. This is because EMDR can impact the availability of the memory for court purposes.
The experiences you face as a first responder are unique. EMDR is an important tool that can not only help you finish processing traumatic incidents — it can also help your brain become more resilient in processing future traumatic memories.
And that’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Until next time, Gordon Graham signing off.
