Does EMDR Work for Trauma and PTSD?

Dr. David Spiegel is Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Center on Stress and Health, and Medical Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he has been a member of the academic faculty since 1975. He is the founder of Reveri, the world's first interactive self-hypnosis app.

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[Reverihealth]

Thank you for having me on the show Tim - it was a pleasure being able to speak about my life's work with you!

[allisonlewis]

EMDR let myself see that the trauma was not my fault and allowed me to be able to trust myself again. I loved my experience with it

[vicitfidelis]

I can tell you that EMDR has probably saved my life. Actually going in for a EMDR tune up in 20 min. Very effective for PTSD, at least it’s been for me.

[kbusetto]

I love the way he talks about reframing the event.

[Crarlson]

Hi - Tim’s team? I’m a little disappointed my previous comment that challenged EMDR as a pseudoscience was removed. To the best of my ability and understanding, it was a sincere attempt to discuss the line between science and pseudoscience, which is not always clear. EMDR in particular can be tricky to tease apart that distinction for a couple of reasons.

I definitely wasn’t trolling. On the contrary, I’ve been a huge fan of the Tim Ferriss show podcast and all of Tim’s books for many years. Tim is one of the most brilliant and authentic people out there. I’m consistently better educated, equipped, and inspired by everything he puts out into the world. 🙏🙏

[stevenreid_youtube]

It's impressive how controlled exposure and reframing techniques can empower individuals to navigate trauma and shift their perspectives. Undoubtedly it's really important to understand these therapy techniques and support resilience and healing.

[abmrose]

The answer is yes. Before EMDR I was living like I was still in the traumatic environment (CPTSD, felt like there was not way to make it ever end). Even though 15 yrs had passed I was a highly reactive person.
EMDR allowed me to stay in the present moment while processing the traumatic events so that my brain allowed them to become normal memories… so that when something reminds me of the trauma (makes me feel like I did then… it’s not necessarily conscious) I don’t have a physiological reaction. My personality is changing and my GAD and emotional flashbacks went from severe to occasional/mild as I continue to heal…
EMDR is a life saver ❤

[nuineyc]

The most effective evidence backed form of psychotherapy is largely behavioral. Behavioral psychology is the most effective form of psychotherapy (with the exception of drug therapy) that exists.

EMDR likely works due to both exposure, and the interruption of memory reconsolidation. When a memory is activated or recalled it must be reconsolidated to be stored. If a memory has been activated it can be modified or deleted before it gets reconsolidated. If we re-imagine a memory, or recall a similar memory, the details are stored differently than standard recall. If we recall a memory and are prevented from a full emotional reaction to the memory, it is stored without that association.

Exposure therapy likely works because the memory is activated and the traumatic event is kept activated until the neural pathways associated with the response become overexcited and stop firing. Eventually this causes the memory to be stored, reconsolidated, without the associated emotion. Say a word over and over and over for several minutes straight and eventually that word will cease to have meaning or make sense, because that neural pathway shuts down due to over excitation.

Exposure therapy with distraction stimuli, or drug mediated control of emotional response, can also modify memory.

There was a doctor around the 60s who could erase memories, it was found that memories being recalled during ECT were damaged. Prolonged ECT and psychic driving resulted in total memory loss and debilitation. That man was discussed in a documentary called The Memory Thief.

[danerose]

Power/guilt/self-blame vs. helplessness, grief and terror is the choice of every child and most grown-ups because being in helpless traumatic terror is the lowest state a human can experience. Power is medicine for powerlessness. Self-punishment is medicine for helplessness. Blaming oneself is medicine for the terror of grasping one is dependent on an incompetent abusive parent and can't escape. It's highly intelligent while a child, but like all technologies, becomes a liability after one has the power to change.

[jessieoliver]

EMDR would not work for individuals with aphantasia because we can't re-picture anything with our minds eye.