Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has become a popular and effective therapeutic approach for processing trauma and reducing symptoms related to PTSD, anxiety, and other distressing experiences. A lesser-known yet crucial aspect of EMDR’s effectiveness is the role of mindfulness—mainly internal mindfulness skills. But why is mindfulness so essential in EMDR? And how can you develop these skills to prepare for EMDR therapy or improve its outcomes?
What is Internal Mindfulness, and Why is it Important in EMDR?
In the context of therapy, mindfulness involves cultivating a non-judgmental awareness of your thoughts, emotions, sensations, and memories. While external mindfulness focuses on observing the environment around us, internal mindfulness is about turning our attention inward. This awareness helps us observe, rather than react to, our inner experiences.
During EMDR therapy, clients process traumatic memories while the therapist guides them through bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, tapping, or audio cues. As painful memories emerge, strong emotions often surface, and without internal mindfulness, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Mindfulness skills allow clients to stay present, observe their reactions, and regulate their emotions throughout the EMDR process. Here’s why that matters:
- Staying Grounded: Trauma can feel mentally and physically destabilizing. Internal mindfulness builds resilience and helps clients stay grounded when confronting difficult emotions and memories.
- Emotional Regulation: Traumatic memories can trigger intense emotional reactions. Mindfulness teaches clients to observe these emotions without becoming consumed, fostering a sense of safety and agency.
- Facilitating Reprocessing: In EMDR, the focus is to change the way distressing memories (both implicit and explicit) are stored in the brain and body. Internal mindfulness allows clients to observe memories objectively, essential for transforming traumatic memories into less emotionally charged recollections.
How to Cultivate Mindfulness Skills for EMDR
If you’re preparing for EMDR or are currently in therapy, working on your internal mindfulness skills can improve your experience and outcomes. Here are some strategies to help build these skills:
- Practice Short, Mindful Daily Activities
One of the most straightforward yet powerful mindfulness practices is mindfully engaging in a daily task you already do. This could include focusing on your five senses while doing that task (e.g. what do you see, hear, smell, touch, and feel in your mouth as you wash the dishes) or exploring what your internal experience is like while you complete that task (e.g., what thoughts/feelings/sensations emerge while you wash the dishes). The key to staying mindful is to witness without judgment. Here’s a quick practice:
– Identify which task you would like to observe mindfully. Prepare to refocus your attention whenever you notice it drift away from the task.
– Observe the information coming in through your senses: Notice what you can see, smell, hear, touch, and taste or sense in your mouth as you engage in the activity.
– Refocus gently: When your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to your activity.
Mindful awareness of the therapy room can become an anchor during EMDR, helping you stay calm and centred as you face difficult memories.
- Body Scan Meditation
The body scan is a great way to connect deeply to your internal experiences. By becoming aware of physical sensations when you are not experiencing an emotional reaction, you learn to identify and tolerate emotions when they arise.
– Start at your toes: Close your eyes and focus on each part of your body, starting at your toes and moving upward to the top of your head.
– Notice sensations: Observe any tension, warmth, tingling, or relaxation without judgment.
– Accept and release: If you notice discomfort, practice accepting it. Visualize releasing tension with each breath.
Over time, a body scan practice can help you observe bodily sensations during EMDR, such as the tightening of muscles or racing heartbeats, without reacting.
- Emotion Labeling
Emotion labelling is the practice of naming emotions as they arise. It sounds simple, but it’s a powerful way to create space between yourself and your reactions.
– Pause and notice: When you feel a strong emotion, pause and ask, “What am I feeling?”
– Name it: Use specific labels like “sadness,” “anger,” “fear,” or “confusion.”
– Accept without judgment: Remind yourself that emotions are normal. There’s no need to suppress or fight them.
Labelling your emotions during EMDR can make distressing feelings feel more manageable, allowing you to process rather than avoid them.
- Grounding Exercises
Grounding techniques are invaluable for people undergoing trauma therapy. These exercises help keep you oriented in the present moment, especially if memories become intense.
– 5-4-3-2-1 Technique: Name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This simple activity can anchor you in the present.
– Focus on Physical Sensations: Notice how your feet feel on the floor or the sensation of your back against the chair. These sensations serve as reminders of your presence in the here and now.
Developing grounding skills before EMDR can give you quick, reliable tools to return to the present moment when past trauma becomes overwhelming.
Putting it All Together
Integrating mindfulness into your daily life can be as simple as taking five minutes to check in with yourself each day. If you’re working with an EMDR therapist, you can discuss these mindfulness practices to reinforce your resilience and emotional stability during sessions.
Mindfulness is more than a therapeutic buzzword. In EMDR, it can be a transformative skill that enables you to face, process, and move beyond painful memories. With time and practice, your internal mindfulness skills empower you in therapy and everyday life, allowing you to approach difficult emotions and experiences with compassion and calm.
Please note that if you currently find your day-to-day life stressful and tumultuous, mindful awareness can quickly overwhelm you. It may be that you have a significant trauma history and are new to learning coping resources. Getting support from a trained professional can help you modify these skills to learn them gradually, building confidence instead of producing overwhelm. A trained EMDR therapist and Calgary Psychologist can help.
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