EMDR with Children & Adolescents
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic approach that effectively addresses emotional challenges stemming from distressing, traumatic, or frightening life events. When children experience trauma, face difficult situations, or repeatedly encounter failure, they can lose a sense of control over their lives. This loss of control often leads to symptoms such as anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, guilt, or behavioral issues. While we recognise that certain events—such as accidents, abuse, violence, death, and natural disasters—can be traumatic, the ways in which these experiences impact children's daily lives are not always immediately apparent. Even more common childhood struggles, like divorce, school difficulties, peer conflicts, failures, and family issues, can significantly affect a child's sense of security, self-worth, and development.
When a child experiences a painful, frightening, or upsetting event, the memory may become "stuck" or "frozen" in their mind and body. This unresolved memory can resurface in intrusive, distressing ways. In an attempt to cope, the child may avoid situations or things that remind them of the trauma. For example, a child who has had a bad bicycle accident may experience recurring nightmares, develop a fear of trying new activities, or avoid anything related to bikes altogether.
Most experts agree that the most effective way to "unfreeze" these memories and alleviate symptoms is through exposure to the traumatic experience. This involves confronting and processing the memories or events until they are no longer distressing.
EMDR incorporates dual attention stimulation (DAS), a technique involving alternating right-left tracking, which can take the form of eye movements, sounds or music delivered to each ear, or tactile sensations such as alternating hand taps. For children, creative alternatives—such as puppets, stories, dance, art etc are used to provide this dual attention stimulation.
EMDR helps children process and resolve the troubling thoughts and emotions associated with distressing memories, allowing them to resume their normal developmental tasks and return to their previous coping levels. Additionally, EMDR can enhance feelings of confidence, calm, and mastery.
What Happens in an EMDR Session?
I integrate EMDR into a broader treatment plan alongside other therapeutic methods such as play therapy, talk therapy, CBT, ACT and family therapy. The decision to use EMDR is typically made in collaboration with the family and child.
An EMDR session usually begins with a focus on positive imagery, designed to strengthen the child's sense of well-being and confidence. For instance, a child might be asked to imagine a safe, peaceful place or recall a time when they felt strong and secure. These positive experiences are then paired with eye movements or other forms of dual attention stimulation. This initial phase of the therapy helps children feel more comfortable with the process and introduces them to the positive emotional states EMDR aims to foster.
Next, the child is encouraged to bring up an upsetting memory or event related to their current issues. The therapist then uses dual attention stimulation again, as the child focuses on the distressing experience. Through this process, the upsetting memory is "desensitised," meaning the child no longer feels disturbed, anxious, or avoidant when recalling it. The "reprocessing" phase allows new insights, emotions, and sensations to be linked with the previously troubling memories, allowing the child to view the event more objectively. This often results in thoughts like, "It’s over," "I’m safe now," "I did the best I could, it’s not my fault," or "I have other choices now."
Can EMDR Help My Child?
EMDR can be effective for both children and teenagers. It has helped preverbal children as well as adolescents who are reluctant to discuss their trauma verbally.
EMDR has been shown to be beneficial for children dealing with traumatic events, anxiety, depression, phobias, and various behavioral issues.
Since the healing process in EMDR is guided by the child themselves, each child’s experience with it is unique. Some children find EMDR immediately relaxing and feel positive effects during or after the session, while others may feel tired after a session, with the benefits becoming more apparent over the following days.
How Does EMDR Work?
In 1987, psychologist Francine Shapiro made a key observation: under certain conditions, eye movements can reduce the intensity of negative and distressing thoughts. Since this discovery, EMDR has undergone extensive research, more than any other trauma-focused therapy, and is now widely recognised by organisations around the world as an effective treatment for trauma.
This groundbreaking therapy has been adapted for children and, over the past decade, has been used globally to help young people cope with a variety of challenges and traumatic experiences.
While the exact mechanism behind how eye movements or other forms of dual attention stimulation in EMDR (such as hand taps or tones) work is still not fully understood, research is ongoing. What we do know is that dual attention stimulation is not hypnosis. Some experts suggest that eye movements may function in a similar way to what happens naturally during dreaming or REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, where the brain processes information. Others believe that the stimulation may create a relaxation response or serve as a distraction, helping children relax and face distressing memories rather than avoiding them. Another theory is that dual attention stimulation helps activate and integrate different parts of the brain, enabling access to the body’s natural healing processes.
Below is a link to a you tube video explaining how EMDR works:
