EMDR Phase Six: Body Scan for Trauma Relief
You might have had the experience of having unexplained aches and pains or physical symptoms that doctors just haven’t been able to figure out. You might be on a whole host of medications - and then even more medications to cancel out the side effects of those medications! What many people don’t realize is that trauma that is trapped in the body exacerbates physical problems.
I’m NOT saying that all of your medical problems are caused by trauma
I AM saying that your medical problems can be worsened because of trauma! This is where EMDR’s Phase 6: Body Scan comes in. Now that we’ve strengthened a positive belief about yourself in Phase 5: Installation, it’s time for us to make sure we’ve gotten any lingering tension that might be stuck in your body.
EMDR’s Body Scan Focuses On Releasing Trapped Trauma In YouR BodY
I think most people can agree that we can hold onto trauma physically. The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk is an excellent read if you are interested in specifics! Trauma memories can be encoded in images, negative beliefs, emotions or physical sensations (and often a combination of those four!). This phase is important to make sure that any traumatic energy that is stuck in your body is released.
What if I don’t Remember The Trauma?
Many clients ask me how EMDR can work if they don’t remember the trauma, or only remember aspects of the trauma. One important thing to understand is that many times the trauma (or parts of the trauma) is stored physically. This is why the Body Scan is so important - we want to make sure we got EVERYTHING!
Here’s how this works - I ask you to notice the memory we’ve been working on with the positive belief from Phase 5: Installation. You then scan your body from head to toe and notice if there is any lingering tension or disturbance anywhere. If there is any tension lingering, I direct your attention to the disturbance and we continue the bilateral stimulation. Either the tension will increase, decrease, stay the same, or move around to another location of your body. It’s quite common for the tension to increase before it decreases. For some people, the tension moves around the body stubbornly for a period of time before it eventually dissipates.
Once you are able to notice the memory, the positive believe and complete a body scan without any lingering tension, then you have completed processing the trauma memory! Amazing!
PATIENCE IN EMDR IS A VIRTUE
I tell clients to be very patient with themselves during this part. Some people are immediately relaxed and feel light. Others chase around a physical sensation for a whole session. That’s OK! We take our time and allow your body to process any lingering trauma trapped in your body! Don’t shortchange yourself and end this phase early. It’s important to honor your body and all it’s hard work - and to allow it to find the relief it deserves.
If you would like to learn more about EMDR, click here to book a free 15 video phone consultation for online EMDR Therapy and PTSD treatment in California.
Online EMDR Therapy and Trauma Counseling in California and Carlsbad, CA.
