Head Space: EMDR and Freedom from Trauma

Tribulation and trial happen to everyone. It’s as Jesus guaranteed (John 16:33). He cautioned, reminding us that the world is a temporary dwelling. Yet, He underscored the pre-eminence of the peace He left to govern and guard His followers in all circumstances. Beyond tranquility, His peace doesn’t just answer the worry within, it also provides and protects from life’s challenges.

Just a few chapters before this declaration, Jesus had described a prepared place to His disciples (John 14:3). He forewarned them of His pending death by crucifixion. In consolation, Jesus informed them of a coming Comforter and advised them of His commitment to making heavenly provision for them beyond their familiar earthbound settings (John 14:26).

During the recent three years, they experienced the culmination of many Messianic prophecies, having shared meals, fellowship, tears, and laughter with the One who was not only Israel’s salvation but hope for the entire world. Now, the same One named Immanuel, “God with us,” was going away to make room for them to eventually join, and eternally dwell in heavenly mansions (Isaiah 7:14).

Like the disciples and followers who preceded us in the faith, the places we occupy in life may be characterized by turbulence and emotional upheaval that frustrate us and wear us down. We have sustained more than superficial scratches, feeling the deep slice of suffering. Sin’s assault intersected our lives through other people’s actions, our own choices, and the traumatic incidents that were not necessarily anyone’s fault.

Wounds and loss presented when the trouble in life brought an unexpected trove of trauma. Between the traumatic incident and the onset of negative effects, we have found ourselves languishing in severe distress.

The resulting dis-ease and disorder require immediate and extended intervention. Pain penetrated the surface of our souls and suffused our person with symptoms we didn’t know how to manage. It may have caused us to wonder if this the life God intended.

Although trauma may have left us without a cure or coping mechanism, the Person of Christ is the Balm that heals, as He is our Hope (Jeremiah 8:22). The words of Christ bear the promise of all things being made new and every tear that is bottled in the present will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4-5; Psalm 56:8).

Uncovering the usual suspects.

In its wake, trauma litters our lives with a handful of its frequent companions: shame, depression, anxiety, codependency, and low self-worth. These carry out trauma’s dirty deeds, long after the encounter has come and gone. We find ourselves writhing in the pain of a wound that still has a stinger embedded.

Periodically, the poison of that pain time releases, noticeably sabotaging our progress as we approach God’s intended promises for our lives. In this way, our soul abides in affliction, frustrated by a past that won’t let go and pain that persists into the present, positioning itself between us and our future.

A salient truth appears in a commonly-shared phrase. Although the origin is unclear, its premise iterates that what was done to us may not have been our fault, but healing is our responsibility. We can bring it into the light with Jesus and acknowledge it. Or, we can hold, hide, and continue to wrestle with it and its resultant effects in both body and soul. We don’t have to do it alone, though.

Unpacking EMDR.

God is good and gracious enough to navigate us to places and people where we can find respite from this toll that trauma taxes on our souls. Deep pain can’t always be healed on its own without thorough and systematic intervention. Seeking a counselor is a wise place to begin.

In the presence of an empathetic and supportive professional, we engage in the techniques that allow us to plumb the depths of memory and resolve previous places of pain. A clinician who has training in unique therapeutic approaches, such as EMDR, can help us safely sort through the snapshots of the past and draw out a larger picture we hadn’t recognized was present.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR engages clients in a multi-phase treatment, revisiting the narratives that have shaped us until now. Like many other approaches to professional counsel, EMDR is designed to support seekers with processing the memories that produce uncomfortable feelings, yet with a nuanced approach.

EMDR therapy relies less on the clinician’s verbal reflection and interpretation of our thoughts and feelings as in some talk therapies but instead leads clients into following a series of eye movements. EMDR references what is widely known in the science and wellness community about the healing nature of deep REM (Rapid Eye Movement) in the phases of sleep where the body repairs and restores itself.

This approach builds on the premise of recreating those eye movements to help individuals disconnect the sensation of physical distress, uncomfortable emotions, and disturbing memories.

EMDR centralizes focus on the eye movement while we process. It challenges us to re-envision ourselves as we transform our wounds and recognize our resilience, thereby shifting away from the way that trauma has historically caused us to perceive ourselves. No longer embroiled in shame from the stories that have shaped our lives, EMDR prompts us to define a new narrative, and in doing so, heal our minds.

It encourages us to reimagine our trauma and eventually disassociate the physical stimuli associated with triggers while reframing the larger story of our lives. In short, we gather a sense of our resilience, as we detach the memory and the feelings that have arrested our ability to function and thrive in everyday life.

Unburdening unnecessary weight.

Sometimes, it takes time to deepen our self-work with a therapist. It is a worthy investment, as our Savior has surrendered His life for ours. This isn’t simply to offer us the key to everlasting life, but He has established abundant life for us to live to the fullest right now.

When we are tormented in fear by what has happened in the past, we are not living in alignment with all that He lived and died to give us. However, as we continue to pair our spiritual pursuit with practical principles, our lives will continue to yield the fruit that testifies of our overcoming.

While we cannot undo our past, we can partner with the Holy Spirit to heal the parts of us that are lingering and languishing in pain. We may have tried to heal it on our own, but this is why we need a Savior. He has the power to do what we cannot. It is only with Him that the impossible evolves into our tangible reality.

As much as pain can be a bully positioning itself as an enemy to seeing ourselves the way Jesus does, we don’t have to abide in it. We can’t reverse time and erase the occurrence of trauma and tribulation that marked our past. However, our soul’s journey forward with the Holy Spirit, as present Help, will redeem and repurpose every place of pain into one for God’s glory (Psalm 46:1; Romans 8:28).

Next steps.

While you are considering your next and best options for therapy, consider EMDR. Use this site to research counselors, then identify someone that you’d like to meet with and make your first appointment. EMDR isn’t the only effective method available, but you can sift and sort your questions with your therapist to explore what makes the most sense, given your concerns and goals.

Whatever you decide, recognize and remember that God has made an arsenal of spiritual and practical tools available to and for you to guard your head and heart space in peace, and find freedom from the tethers of past trauma.