EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an effective psychotherapeutic approach for treating emotional difficulties related to difficult or traumatic life experiences. It is used to address issues such as phobias, panic attacks, grief, childhood trauma, accidents, and natural disasters.
The most recent scientific research supports the effectiveness of EMDR not only in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, but also in personality disorders, complex trauma, and dissociative disorders.
It is an integrative approach that combines theoretical and clinical contributions from various orientations, including the psychodynamic model, the cognitive-behavioral model, and other approaches focused on information processing.
¿What is EMDR?
How does EMDR work?
In the EMDR therapeutic process, the therapist works with the client to identify a specific problem that becomes the focus of treatment. The duration of the process varies depending on the complexity of the problem: it can range from a few sessions for simple traumas to longer-term treatment for complex cases.
EMDR work is based on three key areas:
Early life experiences, particularly those that have left a significant emotional mark.
Current stressful situations that trigger or perpetuate the present distress.
Desired thoughts, emotions and behaviours for the future, promoting healthier coping.
The term ‘trauma’ comes from Greek and means ‘wound’. In psychology, it refers to an emotional or psychological wound caused by experiences that exceed a person’s capacity to cope with them at that moment.
Traditionally, trauma has been associated with high-impact events, such as wars, abuse, serious accidents or natural disasters. These are known as ‘T-traumas’ due to the objective magnitude of their causes.
However, there are also ‘t-traumas’, related to seemingly less serious experiences, such as emotional neglect, humiliation, neglect, changes in family roles or insecure attachment. Although their external impact may seem minor, the psychological damage can be just as profound.
The severity of trauma does not depend solely on the type of experience, but on factors such as personal history, the emotional environment, the stage of life at which it occurred, and its recurrence over time. Regardless of its origin, trauma can significantly affect emotional health, the sense of security, and the way a person perceives themselves and the world, fostering the development of negative and maladaptive beliefs.
From the EMDR perspective, a person’s current problems are understood as the result of past experiences that have not been adequately processed. In personality disorders, multiple factors come into play, notably early experiences—both clearly traumatic ones (mistreatment, abuse) and those related to insecure attachment—along with constitutional or acquired biological factors.
Even when there is a high biological predisposition, it is the experiences and the emotional learning derived from them that modulate and consolidate certain traits, giving rise to the disorder. The aim of EMDR is to identify, access and reprocess these experiences, promoting a more adaptive reorganisation of emotional information.
The treatment of personality disorders using EMDR requires a deep understanding of the origin and maintenance of the distress, as well as a therapeutic plan tailored to each individual case.
At INTRA-TP, we carry out an intensive and personalised assessment, taking into account both the individual and their family context, in order to design interventions tailored to their specific needs. All the centre’s professionals have accredited training in EMDR and undertake continuous advanced training.
For further information on the EMDR approach and specialised training, please visit the website of the Spanish Institute of EMDR.
EMDR and personality disorders
What is considered trauma?
EMDR THERAPY
