EMDR Treatment in Addiction Recovery

Many people who struggle with addiction have had traumatic experiences that contribute to the substance use disorder. In many cases, it can be difficult to treat these people because of the person’s struggle to process and recover from the trauma, which can make it challenging to work on resolution of the issues behind the substance use disorder.

One form of treatment that has been used to overcome the challenges of co-occurring PTSD and addiction is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR. This therapy can help people process trauma more concisely than other forms of therapy. It can also benefit the substance abuse recovery process.

Description of EMDR Treatment

According to the EMDR Institute, Inc., EMDR was developed as a psychological treatment to help diminish the distress caused by traumatic experiences. The therapist first instructs the person to think about the traumatic event. Then, the therapist directs certain eye movements that are thought to be related to the rapid eye movements that occur during deep sleep and that may be part of the brain’s cognitive processing functions. This helps the person access the internal associations made with the traumatic event, enabling the event and the person’s reactions and responses to be processed over additional follow-up sessions.

Through this process, the person is able to cognitively work through the feelings and issues brought up by the event. In sessions, the person can transform those negative associations. The therapist emphasizes the person’s ability to overcome the event, making the trauma easier to manage.

Who Benefits from EMDR Treatment?

People struggling with substance abuse who have also experienced trauma or who have PTSD are most likely to benefit from EMDR treatment during rehab. A recent study in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs showed that people who received traditional addiction treatment along with EMDR were able to reduce symptoms of PTSD during treatment. While the addiction itself was not directly changed by this method, the relief from PTSD symptoms enabled individuals to focus on their recovery efforts better.

Another study from the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research shows that this treatment may also be able to help people struggling with addiction reprocess their addiction memories. In this study, people who received two sessions of EMDR along with traditional substance abuse treatment for alcohol abuse reported significantly decreased cravings for alcohol after treatment and in the month following treatment, compared with those who received traditional treatment alone.

Pros and Cons of EMDR

The pros of EMDR therapy include the following:

  • Shorter period of treatment than traditional therapies.
  • Lower cost of treatment due to shortened treatment timeline.
  • Ability to process traumatic experiences that may be difficult to talk about.
  • Potential to improve both PTSD and addiction treatment outcomes.
  • Safety, as EMDR is deemed to be a safe treatment type.

In general, the primary con of EMDR is that it is fairly limited in what it effectively treats. EMDR is useful for issues based in trauma-related experiences. However, if you’re struggling with depression, bipolar disorder, or other like mental health condition, EMDR may not be helpful.

Qualifications to Administer EMDR Therapy

According to the EMDR International Association, a professional qualified to administer EMDR therapy must be certified in the professional’s field of practice, in addition to having completed an approved EMDR training program, conducted a certain number of sessions, and received consulting education. Continuing education is also required.

For this person to perform EMDR in a substance abuse treatment setting, it is important that the professional has also completed training in substance abuse treatment and is certified and licensed by the appropriate governing body in the state of practice. Working through a reputable, accredited substance abuse treatment center can provide verification that the practitioner is adequately certified.

Duration of Treatment

Generally, EMDR treatment takes place over eight phases, during which the person is assessed, the trauma is accessed, and the feelings associated with memories of the event are transformed into more positive reactions. The assessment phase generally takes 1-2 sessions, and the remaining phases depend on the progress of the individual client. According to the EMDR International Association, each session takes 60-90 minutes to complete.

As a part of a more robust, comprehensive substance abuse treatment program including detox, therapy, medical treatment (if necessary), group therapy, education, and aftercare, EMDR treatment may provide additional positive outcomes for people struggling with PTSD, trauma, and substance abuse disorders.

Learn More About Addiction Treatment

If you’d like to learn more about addiction treatment in Las Vegas, NV click the links below, or call our admissions navigators 24/7 at . Our navigators are on hand to answer all of your questions, including ways to pay for treatment and how to start the admissions process.

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