EMDR Therapy During Pregnancy & Postpartum
EMDR (EYE MOVEMENT AND DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING) IS A HIGHLY RESEARCHED THERAPY AND HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE IN helping birthing people through some of the overwhelming experiences that are common during the perinatal period-the time from TTC, through pregnancy and postpartum. In my practice, I used EMDR to treat TRAUMA/PTSD, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND FEARS AT ANY STAGE OF LIFE, INCLUDING PREGNANCY AND POSTPARTUM.
How can EMDR help during the perinatal period? (preconception/pregnancy/postpartum)
Building a family is often a time of excitement and enjoying making plans for the future, AND it’s a time when your mental health needs often change. Common experiences that can be challenging for your emotional wellbeing include fertility process, miscarriage or infant loss, problems with breast feeding, adjusting to the demands of caring for a baby, changes in relationships and big shifts in identity and sense of self. Women who experience pregnancy and childbirth complications and women with a history of childhood abuse/trauma are at even higher risk of developing problems with mood, anxiety, and the effects of trauma.
EMDR for Healing Trauma and Disturbing Experiences
Not everyone who experiences perinatal trauma (traumas that occur preconception, during pregnancy or postpartum) will develop PTSD, but you don't need a diagnosis to get help. Symptoms of traumatic stress can have a devastating impact on day-to-day functioning, your ability to take care of yourself and your family and may make it difficult to bond with a newborn.
Traumatic stress is a response to a frightening or life-threatening experience---real or perceived. It's not a sign of weakness, and it's also an involuntary neurobiological reaction.
You may have negative feelings about your pregnancy, your baby's birth or your own body. And having a history of trauma also increases the risk of traumatic stress and PTSD. Current research is indicating that rates of PMADs, perinatal PTSD and traumatic stress have increased during the pandemic.
In my practice, I use EMDR to help women and new moms heal from trauma before, during and after pregnancy. EMDR can be used alone or with other therapies to relieve symptoms that can cause you to feel overwhelmed, stuck or hopeless including:
Alleviate the distress/PTSD symptoms from previous pregnancy and birth related trauma/loss.
EMDR therapy addresses not only past traumas, but also current and future situations that are causing fear and distress related to pregnancy and childbirth- to prepare you for labor, fertility treatments, and postpartum life. EMDR therapy has been found to effective in diminishing fears of pregnancy and childbirth.
Teach you skills to build up your inner strengths, calm your body and mind, and to stay grounded in the present
EMDR helps to process and heal from past traumas that have resurfaced (childhood traumas, attachment wounds, abuse and neglect.
EMDR has been found to be safe and effective at any stage of your parenting journey and can be used to provide relief from distress or trauma symptoms that can occur.
EMDR therapy is widely documented and researched, and studies continue to support its use during pregnancy.
A study published in 2020 found that “EMDR therapy can improve internal resources for expectant mothers; monitor their levels of psychological distress; and enable them to access and process traumatic memories, other adverse life experiences, recent stressors, and pre-perinatal concerns... " and that EMDR therapy can also help pregnant mothers prepare for future events, incorporate developmental/prenatal education and "deepen their bonds with their babies.”
Another study published by the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research found that EMDR therapy reduced the severity of anxiety in pregnant women with previous traumatic experiences and that “EMDR therapy can be used during pregnancy to treat or relieve anxiety" and the fear of childbirth.
Why I use EMDR therapy to support mental and emotional well-being during pregnancy and postpartum:
EMDR (Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a highly researched therapy and has been found to be effective in treating trauma/PTSD, depression, anxiety and fears. It’s also the primary model of therapy I use in my practice because it's so effective (supported by research), provides relief for my clients (often more quickly than traditional talk therapy), AND for many other reasons:
◾EMDR therapy can reach trauma wounds in ways that words/talking can't (trauma is stored in the body).
◾EMDR allows your own brain to do the healing. Your nervous system, your mind and body lead the way.
◾EMDR addresses the emotional AND physical symptoms of trauma.
◾You don't have to re-experience or describe your trauma in detail. EMDR is a very internal process.
◾EMDR doesn't just focus on the past; EMDR also helps address issues in the present, as well as preparing you for future scenarios you may face.
Many traumas can be resolved without any help. But some traumatic experiences can interfere with our brain’s natural ability to recover. When the stress of an event continues to cause you to feel overwhelmed with flight, fight or freeze responses, or if reminders of the events create the feeling that it’s happening all over again, EMDR can help to process through and decrease the distress associated with the memory-to return your body and mind back to a sense of safety and calm.
EMDR can help heal the traumatizing effects of:
◾Perinatal trauma (including infertility, pregnancy loss/miscarriage, stillbirths, birth trauma, NICU stays, Postpartum PTSD)
◾Pregnancy Termination
◾Death of a baby
◾Medical Trauma-previous medical trauma or medical complications that occur during fertility treatment process, pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum.
◾Childhood Abuse and Neglect, Sexual Assault, Intimate Partner Abuse
◾Pandemic related traumas
◾Vicarious Traumas (witnessing or learning about a traumatic event)- dads and non-birthing partners suffer trauma, too.
◾Single incident traumas (car accidents, etc.)
◾Natural Disasters (fires, earthquakes, etc.)
Reminder: If you felt your birth experience was traumatic, then it was.
EMDR has been extensively researched for the past 20+ years. If you'd like to know more about EMDR and the research supporting its effectiveness, check out the resources below.
emdria.org
emdr.com
Resources:
Cortizo, R. (2020). Prenatal and Perinatal EMDR Therapy: Early Family Intervention. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, Vol. 14, Issue 2, pages 104-115
Zolghadr, N., Khoshnazar, A., MoradiBaglooei, M., Alimoradi, Z. (2019). The Effects of EMDR on Childbirth Anxiety of Women with Previous Stillbirth. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, Vol. 13, Issue 1.
