How Therapists Are Using EMDR in Telehealth Sessions

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, commonly referred to by its initials EMDR, is well-known as a model of therapy. This type of therapy was created to treat individuals suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and trauma-related mental illness. Since its invention, it has been proven to help with other disorders and mental illnesses as well such as anxiety, phobias, sleep irregularities, and chronic pain.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health providers have had to adapt EMDR to a telehealth format. A treatment that is traditionally done in person, this modality has required providers to innovate ways to deliver this treatment to patients over video chat. What are therapists doing to effectively adapt EMDR online?

The Pandemic and Telehealth

The coronavirus pandemic prompted mental and behavioral health providers to transition their care delivery to be primarily online. Telehealth has broken down several of the existing barriers to mental health services like travel, transportation, and scheduling. More individuals than ever before have access to mental health care. While this tool has revolutionized the delivery of mental health services, it has posed some challenges as well. Not every kind of treatment is easy to deliver when the client and therapist are separated by a screen.

How EMDR Works

This type of therapy works by mimicking how your brain processes emotions through directed eye movements. It aims to enable someone to reprocess difficult experiences and emotions and transition them out of the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response.

How EMDR Is Being Adapted to Online Therapy

The pandemic has moved most mental health services online. This has prompted major challenges for providers who regularly utilize EMDR in therapy. Traditionally, EMDR in therapy is done in person through the utilization of bilateral stimulation tools. How are providers adapting this to a virtual therapy setting?

Screen Sharing

Some providers are utilizing screen sharing options to continue delivering EMDR therapy. This tool allows them to share with their client what they wish them to focus on. This enables the therapist to control the left to right visual stimulation.

Patient Instructions

Providers have also tried delivering EMDR in therapy by asking patients to try different methods of stimulation like tapping on their legs. This is more difficult because the provider does not have control over the speed, start, and stop of the process.

Issues Providers Might Run Into

The nature of EMDR is to help clients process trauma. It is best to do this in person so you have control over the client’s environment and safety. This kind of therapy can often trigger trauma responses and crisis-level reactions that a therapist would normally be present to help navigate. Online EMDR therapy removes these safety options.

Providers are also used to seeing the client’s entire body movements. This helps them read whether or not a client is becoming too overwhelmed. Online therapy makes this difficult as providers can only see the top half of their client’s body.

Providers are navigating these issues and complications to practicing EMDR virtually through the use of emergency contact information. If they believe their client is in danger or at risk, they can contact their designated emergency contact.

Therapists everywhere are doing an incredible job transitioning to online care during unprecedented times. To learn more about a therapist in your area, click here.

By Dr. Victoria Raymond, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

5 Tips to Help You Get the Most Out of Your Virtual Therapy Session

Virtual therapy sessions are the new normal. Our lives have changed profoundly in the past few months. As we continue to process the impacts of this pandemic, I believe we might be developing a new normal in the field of psychology: virtual therapy. (It’s got a lot of synonyms, including online therapy, telehealth therapy, telemental health, and teletherapy.)

I have been offering virtual therapy appointments to clients for years. My clients are professionals, parents, couples, and students. They prefer virtual sessions for a variety of reasons, including flexibility in scheduling and the convenience of connecting from their own home, completely cutting out commute time.

The concept of privacy is especially important in therapy, as the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist relies on the principles of confidentiality. Many of my clients are physicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, and executives who are well-known in the local community. These clients often prefer virtual sessions, as it eliminates the risk of seeing patients or clients of their own in a therapist’s office. The ability to choose this option for telehealth therapy increases their privacy. 

If you are thinking about beginning virtual therapy or want more out of your telehealth sessions, here are some tips to help you fully benefit from your sessions. 

 1. Find a Private Space

Sometimes you may need to get creative – especially if you have a partner or roommate also working from home, little ones running around, or are in the office – in order to find a place to be alone. Your car parked somewhere private, can be a great option. Other clients like to sit on their balcony or patio or take walks while we speak. It is important to find a space where you feel free to express yourself authentically, without fear of being overheard or seen. Some of my clients schedule our appointments on their shared calendars as a recurring meeting and therefore can avoid any questions from colleagues or family.

2. Set The Scene…and Yourself

Take a few moments before each session to center yourself. Oftentimes, when attending in-person therapy sessions, clients will sit in the waiting room for a few minutes, sipping tea and gathering their thoughts before the session begins. With virtual sessions, it is helpful to give yourself a few minutes prior to the appointment to prepare. I suggest that clients set a reminder for 5-10 minutes before their appointment time; this way they can set up a comfortable space, get themselves some water or tea, and take a few calming breaths. This is also a useful time to review any notes you may have taken between sessions. 

 3. Check Your Connectivity

Try to figure out where you have the strongest internet connection. If WiFi is acting up, switch over to data. If neither one is working, switch to the phone. One thing this pandemic is teaching us: Flexibility is key. It is helpful to keep your devices (including headphones) charged so you can approach your session with mindfulness and be fully present- and not worrying about whether your phone battery is too low. 

 4. Give Feedback

Please tell your therapist if you cannot see or hear, if the connection is bad, or if your dog barking in the background is distracting you. We want to make this the best possible experience for you; so please be honest. 

 5. Be Yourself

One of the best parts of virtual therapy is that it allows clients to feel comfortable in their surroundings: Wear your most comfy sweats, wrap up in your favorite blanket, stay in your sweaty gym clothes, have your furry friends close by (I love meeting my clients’ pets!). We are more likely to be open and authentic – and to talk about things we really need to talk about – when we feel most comfortable. Telemental health offers a unique opportunity to lean into this – take advantage of it!

To start your search for a therapist who offers virtual therapy, click here to search your area and then filter your results by the Type of Service “Telehealth.”