Chronic illness doesn’t just impact our bodies. It also has a major effect on our emotional and mental well-being. Likewise, our emotional state and stress levels can also play a role in the severity of chronic illness. They go hand in hand.

A little while ago, we spoke about the benefits of EMDR therapy, what it is, and how it works. Today, let’s go over how EMDR therapy can specifically help with chronic illness and pain. 

“Chronic pain is complicated. It’s constructed and modulated by a constellation of interactions between sensory cognitive and emotional factors,  - Fadel Zeidan

According to the CDC, six out of ten adults in the United States have a chronic illness.  The physical discomfort and pain that come with these illnesses are typically matched with a negative toll on mental health. It is vital that, in addition to caring for your body, you also care for your mind. 

Since our minds and bodies are connected, the chronic pain we experience can often lead back to the memories of when we first experienced that pain or when we experienced the worst of the pain. Studies (like this one) have shown that there is a connection between trauma and developing chronic illness. 

The hopeful news is that EMDR can help with dissolving trauma and, therefore, help chronic illness too. 

EMDR — also known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — is a powerful therapeutic treatment that helps dissolve the stress associated with traumatic memories. Unlike traditional talk therapy, repeated studies have shown that EMDR can be as effective as years of traditional psychotherapy. 

Using eye movements and other forms of bilateral stimulation (see photo below), EMDR helps to calm the stress associated with traumatic memories that are stuck in our minds and bodies. EMDR activates our brain’s natural healing response. It helps to address the imbalance or blockage that is keeping your system in fight or flight, unable to return to homeostasis. 

EMDR-trained therapists help their clients tap into their natural healing response and let their minds and bodies know it is safe to release and process the blockage. 

The following symptoms of trauma can link back to chronic illness or pain:

1. Overly active nervous system

2. Re-experiencing traumatic memories

3. Disturbed sleep

4. Emotional numbing

5. Hyperarousal

6. Inability to regulate emotions

7. Depression and anxiety

8. Damaged neural connections to childhood trauma

9. Adrenal exhaustion

10. Negative perceptions of pain

EMDR is extremely effective at helping to address PTSD and underlying symptoms.  EMDR therapy is known to help improve the quality of life of someone who is chronically ill. If you feel EMDR might help you and would like to learn more, reach out to our team here. 

Source: https://www.pathways.health/how-is-psychological-trauma-linked-to-chronic-pain/