What is a Child & Youth Session Like?

As mentioned earlier Play Therapy (Eg: Sandtray, art) and other therapies (talk) are used alongside EMDR especially in preparation sessions (phase 2). A typical EMDR session begins by having children use their imagination to strengthen their sense of confidence and well-being. E.G.: children may be asked to imagine a calm and protected place where they feel relaxed or to remember a time when they felt strong and confident. These positive images, thoughts and feelings are then combined with bls (Self-administer butterfly hug, use hand buzzies, eye movements).

Next, the child is asked to bring up an upsetting memory or event (target) that is related to the present problem. Bls is used again while the child focuses on the disturbing experience and the negative thoughts, emotions and sensations attached to it. Often other similar type events will be processed spontaneously. When an upsetting memory is eventually “desensitized” the child can remember the past event(s) without feeling upset, frightened, or avoidant.

“Reprocessing” simply means that new positive understandings, feelings and sensations replace the old disturbing thoughts, feelings, sensations and images. After EMDR treatment the troubling memories can be more comfortably recalled as “just something that happened,” and children have more adaptable believes about themselves and the past trauma. Therapists will further reinforce their transformation by having the child or youth imagine a challenging event happening in the near future and to imagine themselves handling it successfully all while simultaneously using bls.

 

EMDR Benefits

 

After trauma resolution the child will be back on a healthy developmental trajectory and may achieve the following outcomes:

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• Increased self-esteem, self-confidence and self-reliance

• Increased ability to self-regulate: expanded window of tolerance

• Better manage cognitive distortions: increased flexible thinking, ability to reframe negative thoughts, decrease negative self-talk and increased encouraging thoughts

• Identify co-regulators (Eg: Knows who to go to for help)

• Increase tolerance of unknown

• Increase emotional, cognitive and physiological management and understanding

• Increased emotional literacy and ability to authentically express emotions

• Better communication skills (Eg: Express feelings, articulate personal needs)          

• Self-care: Use personal resources to soothe herself

• Mindfulness: use of breath, grounding and self-awareness                                 

• Increased mastery experiences

• Decreased depression and anxiety and other clinical symptoms

• Better sleep hygiene

• Learned coping skills: butterfly hug, calm place, container, protection team