Posted by Garth on July 30, 1999 at 12:17:14:
Several years ago, I underwent Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy as part of some counseling I received. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this therapy, an EMDR website explains it as follows:
EMDR attempts to integrate many of the successful elements of a range of therapeutic approaches in combination with eye movements or other forms of rhythmical stimulation in ways that stimulate the brain’s information processing system. With EMDR therapy it is unnecessary to delve into decades-old psychological material, but rather, by activating the information-processing system of the brain, people can achieve their therapeutic goals at a rapid rate, with recognizable changes that don’t disappear over time.
The major significance of EMDR is that it allows the brain to heal its psychological problems at the same rate as the rest of the body is healing its physical ailments. Because EMDR allows minds and body to heal at the same rate, it is effectively making time irrelevant in therapy. Given its wide application, EMDR promises to be the therapy of the future.
Dr. Francine Shapiro is the creator of EMDR. She is a licensed psychologist and a senior research fellow at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto. She is the Executive Director of the EMDR Institute, which trains clinicians in the EMDR method. She is the recipient of the 1994 Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award presented by the California Psychological Association.
During the course of my EMDR therapy, I started recognizing an internal, subconscious, cynical voice that tells me that I am incapable of making my own decisions and living my own life. At the time of this therapy, I was just discovering the enneagram and did not know that this type of cynical voice is very common to Nines. Unfortunately. my therapist kept trying to focus me on issues dealing with my repression of anger.
Since learning more about the enneagram, and particularly about the dynamics of my type, I have often thought that my therapist missed the boat. Based on my experience, it seems that EMDR might be an effective way to unlock some of the subconscious processes that affect our personalities, particularly with a therapist who is familiar with the enneagram and knows the core issues of each enneagram type. Does anyone know of any therapist who combines the two approaches? Has anyone else had experiences with EMDR that they would be willing to share?