Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has proven to be a groundbreaking approach in trauma treatment and other psychological disorders.
And negative cognitions are central to this method. These are the deeply ingrained, often unconscious beliefs individuals hold about themselves. As a result, they can prolong distress and hinder healing.
Understanding and using negative biases within the EMDR framework allows therapists to improve therapeutic outcomes.
Read on to dig deeper into EMDR therapy and how you can harness it to provide better patient care.
What Is EMDR Trauma Therapy?
EMDR is a treatment that uses psychotherapy to enable individuals to recover from distressing, traumatic events. According to the American Psychology Association (APA), the therapy encourages the patient to concentrate on the trauma memory to let them move past their stressful situation.
What Are Negative Cognitions?
Negative cognitions are self-referential, negative beliefs individuals develop, usually as a result of traumatic experiences. These cognitions can manifest in various forms, such as “I am worthless,” “I am powerless,” or “I am unlovable.”
They reflect the individual’s internalized response to trauma and are often irrational and overly generalized. Despite their irrationality, these beliefs can have a powerful hold on a person’s psyche, affecting their emotions, behaviors, and overall mental health.
EMDR Counseling Associates identifies the feelings below as negative beliefs:
- I don’t deserve love.
- I am a bad person.
- I am terrible.
- I am worthless (inadequate).
- I am shameful.
- I am not lovable.
- I am not good enough.
- I deserve only bad things.
What’s the Role of Negative Cognitions in EMDR Therapy?
In EMDR therapy, identifying and addressing negative distortions is a critical step. This is because you need to help the patient reprocess them, guiding them through the therapeutic process.
Also, therapists can allow clients to confront traumatic memories and replace negative thinking with more adaptive, positive beliefs.
How To Identify Negative Biases
The therapist and the client should work together to identify negative cognitions. For example, you can use various techniques to uncover these beliefs, such as direct questioning, exploring the client’s narrative, and examining their emotional responses to specific memories or situations.
You should also create a safe and supportive environment to let the clients explore their thoughts and feelings without judgment. For example, if the clients are feeling uncomfortable discussing a particular issue, you can give them time to pause and take a break before continuing the conversation.
How to Uncover Negative Cognitions: 3 Techniques?
Discovering negative biases can be challenging, as they are often deeply ingrained and unconscious. However, several techniques can be helpful in this process:
The Float Back Technique
The Float Back Technique is a powerful tool to identify negative cognitions linked to specific traumatic memories. This method involves asking the client to focus on a current distressing situation and then “floating back” to earlier memories that elicit similar feelings.
This approach helps therapists find out about the original traumas and the negative beliefs that stem from them.
Cognitive Interweave
Cognitive interweave involves integrating cognitive restructuring into the EMDR process. Therapists can introduce alternative, more adaptive thoughts during the reprocessing phases to challenge and change negative thinking. This technique allows clients to develop new perspectives and weaken the hold of irrational beliefs.
Mindfulness and Body Awareness
Encouraging clients to practice mindfulness and body awareness can also reveal negative distortions. They can become more aware of the underlying beliefs driving their distress by paying attention to bodily sensations and emotional responses.
How To Address Negative Cognitions in EMDR Therapy
Once you have identified negative cognitions, the next step is to address and reprocess them. EMDR therapy involves eight phases, each helping resolve traumatic memories and change negative beliefs.
History Taking and Treatment Planning
During the initial phase, therapists gather detailed information about the client’s history, including traumatic experiences and presenting issues. This stage also involves identifying the negative beliefs and developing a treatment plan tailored to the client’s needs.
Preparation
For this step, practitioners educate clients about the EMDR process, establish a therapeutic alliance, and teach self-soothing techniques to manage distress. It ensures patients feel safe and ready for the reprocessing work.
Assessment
In the assessment phase, clinicians identify the specific traumatic memory to target and the associated negative cognition. They also establish a positive perception that the client would prefer to believe. For example, if the negative cognition is “I am powerless,” the positive belief might be “I am in control.”
Some more examples include:
RESPONSIBILITY/ I DID SOMETHING “WRONG”
| Negative Thinking | Positive Thinking |
| I should have done something. | I did the best I could. |
| I did something wrong. | I learned (can learn) from it. |
| I should have known better | I do the best I can (I can learn). |
Desensitization
Desensitization involves processing the traumatic memory while simultaneously focusing on bilateral stimulation (BLS), such as eye movements, taps, or tones. This reduces the emotional intensity of the memory and weakens negative cognition.
Installation
Installation strengthens the positive cognition identified in the assessment phase. Clients focus on positive beliefs while engaging in BLS. It allows the new thinking to become more deeply ingrained.
Body Scan
During the body scan phase, clients are asked to focus on their physical sensations while thinking about their traumatic memory and positive cognition. This step helps identify any residual distress and reinforces the integration of the new belief.
Closure
Closure ensures clients leave each session feeling stable and safe. Practitioners guide patients through self-soothing techniques and grounding exercises and review progress during the session.
Reevaluation
Reevaluation occurs at the beginning of each subsequent session. Clinicians assess the client’s progress, determine if the targeted memory has been fully processed, and decide on the next steps in treatment.
Empower Yourself with Evidence-Based EMDR Therapy
If you want to advance your career in EMDR, Online CE Credits is a gold mine of on-demand CEU courses available online 24/7. The training programs, instructed by seasoned therapists, offer actionable insights from decades of experience. Here are examples of EMDR therapy certifications:
- Advanced EMDR Skills for Complex Trauma
- EMDR for Anxiety: Basic EMDR Skills and Anxiety Modifications
- EMDR Skills: Practical Modifications for Children & Other Populations
- Integrative Advanced Workshop: EMDR, Ego States, IFS
- Must-Have EMDR Skills for Online Therapy (even if you aren’t trained in EMDR!)
How to Improve EMDR Therapy Through Creative Interventions
While the standard EMDR principles are effective, incorporating creative interventions can boost the therapeutic process. These strategies help patients engage more deeply with their negative perceptions and simplify the reprocessing work.
Art Therapy Techniques
Art therapy techniques provide clients with alternative ways to express and explore their negative cognitions. Through drawing, painting, or sculpting, clients can externalize their beliefs and gain new insights. Art therapy can also be integrated into the desensitization phase, using creative activities as a form of bilateral stimulation.
Narrative Therapy Approaches
Narrative therapy approaches can complement EMDR by helping clients re-author their stories. They can create new, empowering stories about their lives by identifying and challenging the dominant narratives driven by negative cognitions.
This process is effective in the installation phase, reinforcing positive beliefs through the re-authoring of personal narratives.
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic experiencing focuses on the body’s response to trauma and can be used alongside EMDR to address negative cognitions. Counselors can encourage the release of trauma stored in the body by helping clients become more attuned to their bodily sensations This approach strengthens the body scan phase and promotes holistic healing.
Why Therapist Competence and Client Readiness Are Important?
The success of EMDR therapy in addressing negative cognitions relies heavily on the therapist’s competence and the client’s readiness. Health professionals must be well-versed in EMDR techniques and understand trauma and its impact on cognition. They should also possess strong skills in creating a safe, empathetic therapeutic environment.
Client readiness is equally crucial. Patients should be emotionally stable and familiarize themselves with coping resources before engaging in EMDR therapy. For example, pre-treatment preparation may involve stabilization techniques, psychoeducation, and supportive therapies.
Unearth Negative Distortions in EMDR Therapy
Understanding and using negative biases within EMDR therapy is a powerful approach to healing trauma and promoting psychological well-being. Practitioners can help clients transform their self-perception and lead healthier, more fulfilling lives by identifying, addressing, and reprocessing deeply ingrained beliefs.
Dominate Your EMDR Therapy Field with Online CEUs
Whether a beginner or an expert in EMDR Therapy, Online CE Credits offers expert-driven training programs to meet your needs. You can select from over 250 accredited certifications. The best part? You can finish the lessons at affordable rates and at your own pace. Stop losing clients to clinicians with specialized skills. Get cutting-edge training to expand your service offerings.