Thrive RN

EMDR: How This Therapy Can Help Nurses Heal from Trauma

If you are a nurse, you may have witnessed or experienced traumatic events in your career that have left you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or even paralyzed. These experiences can leave lasting emotional wounds that impact your well-being and ability to perform your job effectively. But there is hope.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of therapy that can help you heal from trauma and live a more balanced and fulfilling life. Here’s what you need to know about EMDR and how it can benefit you.

What is EMDR?

EMDR is a form of therapy that was developed in the late 1980s to help people who had experienced trauma. It involves a series of standardized protocols that use eye movements, sounds, or taps to stimulate different parts of your brain and help you process distressing memories and emotions.

During an EMDR session, you’ll be asked to recall a specific traumatic event or memory while also following a series of eye movements, sounds, or taps that are meant to stimulate your brain’s natural healing processes. The goal is to help you reprocess the memory in a way that reduces the negative emotional and physical responses that are associated with it.

How can EMDR help nurses?

As a nurse, you may have experienced trauma in a variety of different ways, such as witnessing a patient’s death, experiencing violence or abuse in the workplace, or suffering from a chronic illness or injury that impacts your ability to perform your job. EMDR can help you process these traumatic events and emotions so that you can move forward in your career and personal life.

Some of the specific benefits of EMDR for nurses with mental and chronic health issues include:

• Reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Improving self-esteem and self-confidence

• Enhancing emotional regulation and resilience

• Improving interpersonal relationships and communication skills

• Reducing physical symptoms such as chronic pain or tension headaches

What to expect during an EMDR session

An EMDR session typically lasts between 60 and 90 minutes, and you’ll work with a licensed therapist who has specialized training in EMDR. During the session, you’ll be asked to recall a specific traumatic memory or event, and then follow the therapist’s eye movements, sounds, or taps while also paying attention to any physical sensations, emotions, or thoughts that arise.

As you process the memory, your therapist will help guide you through different stages of the EMDR protocol, such as identifying negative beliefs or emotions that are associated with the memory, replacing those beliefs with positive ones, and then reprocessing the memory in a way that reduces the negative emotional and physical responses.

While the process may feel uncomfortable or overwhelming at times, many people find that they experience significant relief and healing after just a few sessions of EMDR.

Final thoughts

As a nurse with mental and chronic health issues, you may feel like you’re carrying a heavy burden that impacts every aspect of your life. EMDR is just one tool that can help you process and heal from trauma, allowing you to live a more balanced, healthy, and fulfilling life. If you’re interested in learning more about EMDR, talk to your healthcare provider or seek out a licensed therapist who specializes in this type of therapy. Remember, healing is possible, and you don’t have to do it alone.

Starting my own EMDR journey

As a nurse with mental and chronic health issues, I have decided to start my own EMDR journey. I have experienced trauma in my career that has left me feeling overwhelmed and anxious, and I know that I need to process these experiences in order to move forward in my life.

I am hopeful that EMDR will help me reduce the negative emotional and physical responses that I experience when recalling traumatic events, and that it will allow me to live a more balanced and fulfilling life.