EMDR is it for me? Re: My religious beliefs.

I was so confused by the remainder of this thread that I started doing searches on EMDR and religion -- a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, Sandra. :-)

I thought this was really neat and might be helpful to the original poster. It's from a christian counselor's website, excerpted from an article of his on EMDR -- another way, I thought, to turn to the "light".

From http://www.trauma-relief.com/Grief/enigma_emdr.html

"What happens when anyone heals whether physically or psychologically? Consistent with a theistic view (as contrasted with a deistic one), I believe God's influence in the world is both constant and ubiquitous, resulting in his common grace working both for believers and nonbelievers alike. He provides for physical and psychological healing for all human beings, even when the psychological and medical interventions are given by those who do not believe in him. It is easier to see how medical interventions free the body from the sway of evil in the various forms of disease. Psychological procedures free the human mind and heart from distressing attitudes, thoughts, beliefs, memories, and experiences. Generally when medical and psychological practitioners help another human being, they are making a way for God's common grace to heal the sufferer. EMDR, like the surgeon's scalpel or the dentist's drill, opens and removes the problem, allowing counselees to heal on their own.

What general biblical principles are applicable to the EMDR method? Paul expected believers to progress toward Christlikeness as part of their sanctification process (Rom. 8:28-30). Believers are to change both cognitively (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:17-24) and behaviorally (Eph. 4:25-5:15). Most people may not have painful memories to hinder their spiritual and psychological development. But what about those who are plagued by distressing childhood and/or adult experiences?

David Seamands addresses painful memories by practicing what he calls the healing of damaged emotions. In a careful fashion, Seamands enters into the counselee's past, primarily assisting the counselee into prayers of confession and petition for God's help with the painful memory. This kind of intervention allows counselees to view themselves, others, and the world differently. Cognitive change accompanies the healing of the memory.

EMDR as used by an unbelieving therapist functions in a similar way without the religious practices of prayer and confession. I include prayer as part of the EMDR protocol, and I have repeatedly found my Christian counselees turning toward the Lord Jesus or discovering he is right there with them in the painful moment.

Obviously EMDR, like many other modern psychological interventions, is not found in the Bible. Yet, the is biblical warrant for forgetting and that is what EMDR helps people to do. In Philippians 3:13, Paul illustrates the importance of future focus by emphasizing his forgetting those things that were behind him. We can not fully look to the future while we cling to the past. But forgetting what is behind is not always easy or possible. What then?

Paul could brag about his birth, education, and religious practices. But he also fiercely persecuted the church. He sanctioned and witnessed the death of Stephen. Paul's pedigree and heinous acts were indelibly etched on his mind. Yet he recommends in Philippians that his readers forget just as he has forgotten the past. How? Forgetting is usually a natural process. Memories are processed by talking about them, reviewing their meaning, and emoting their pain. Paul may have forgotten his past in this natural way, or he may have had the help of the Lord either on the Damascus road or during the three years of special training the Lord gave him after his conversion.

Either way, Paul forgot the past and focused on the future. Can we do the same thing? Usually we do. But there are experiences so hard to forget that we are not able to let go of them and focus on the present and future. People need help in these cases, and EMDR has proven itself effective."

Replies:

EMDR is it for me? Re: My religious beliefs. , by BDG, 09/21/03 EMDR is it for me? Re: My religious beliefs. , by , 09/21/03

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