Adolescent Trauma can have devastating effects on teens, in fact, nearly 5% of adolescents develop PTSD after being exposed to trauma. It may lead to several life changes, including a loss of interest in everyday activities, a pessimistic outlook on life, overwhelming feelings of hopelessness, and mental health disorders. To help teens process and reprocess traumatic memories, treatment centers use a range of therapeutic techniques, but most importantly, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR).
At teen mental health treatment center in Arizona, we understand the impacts of trauma and its possible consequences on teens. We offer personalized treatment, support, and intervention to help teenagers overcome traumatic memories and increase their engagement with life. If your son or daughter is dealing with previous trauma, contact Nexus today and learn more about how our adolescent PTSD treatment program in Arizona and EMDR therapy offerings can help.
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is a unique therapeutic approach used to cope with trauma and trauma-related disorders. It was developed in the late 1980s by Dr Francine Shapiro. While on a walk, Dr. Shapiro noticed that her eye movements seemed to minimize negative emotions evoked by her distressing memories. She then made a connection between bilateral movement and memory desensitization, which forms the basis of EMDR.
How Does EMDR Work?
EMDR uses rapid eye movements and other bilateral stimulations to help patients reprocess traumatic memories in a safe and controlled environment. It is premised on the adaptive information processing model, which provides that individuals can move past traumatic events by reprocessing them.
During EMDR therapy, patients focus on their distressing memories while performing side-to-side eye movements. This engages both sides of the brain in a process known as bilateral stimulation. Such movements are believed to diminish the intensity of emotionally charged memories. The treatment professional may employ alternating audio tunes (played in both ears) or rhythmic tapping of the hands besides eye movements.
How Is EMDR Specifically Adapted to Teens?
For effective treatment outcomes, EMDR is usually adapted to teens in the following ways:
Incorporating age-appropriate techniques, interventions, and considerations.
Using creative methods, such as storytelling.
Incorporating technology. This helps improve teen therapy engagement.
Adjusting the pace and duration of therapy to align with teenagers’ emotional capacities and attention span.
Therapists also focus on building a trusting relationship with the teenager before sessions begin. This creates a safe environment and helps the client feel comfortable while processing traumatic memories and experiences.
Ten Roles of EMDR in Adolescent Trauma Healing
EMDR helps adolescents process and reprocess traumatic memories.
1. Memory Reconsolidation
Eye desensitization and movement (EMDR) therapy helps teens piece together fragmented traumatic memories and ensures that such memories are stored in networks that can be accessed without causing too much distress. This is usually achieved through bilateral stimulations, such as taps, alternating audio tones, and eye movements.
2. Decreasing Emotional Reactivity
EMDR targets and desensitizes distressing memories and triggers responsible for heightened emotional responses in teens. As a result, it reduces the intensity of emotional reactions that occur when faced with past traumatic memories.
3. Building Coping Mechanisms
During teen EMDR therapy, clients develop responses that enhance their ability to cope with future challenges. Reprocessing traumatic memories also promotes new perspectives and coping strategies. This empowers teens to regulate emotions, manage distress, and navigate difficult situations well.
4. Strengthening Self-Esteem
EMDR allows adolescents to gain control of traumatic memories and experiences, creating a sense of empowerment and self-worth and can lead to improved self-esteem.
5. Improving Concentration
Unprocessed trauma can lead to intrusive thoughts, interfering with a teenager’s focus and attention. By helping participants reprocess trauma-related memories and events, teen EMDR reduces such trauma-induced distractions, leading to enhanced focus, attention, and concentration.
6. Enhancing Sleep Quality
Trauma usually disrupts teenagers’ sleep patterns. It can also cause nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and hypervigilance, significantly affecting their quality of sleep. By targeting and reprocessing distressing memories and triggers, trauma often enhances relaxation and a sense of safety, leading to better sleep quality.
7. Resolving Physical Symptoms
Distressing emotions associated with traumatic events and memories can manifest physically as tension, chronic pain, and other somatic issues. EMDR helps resolve such symptoms by managing their root cause.
8. Fostering Emotional Regulation
Teen EMDR fosters emotional regulation in several ways. It facilitates the reprocessing and desensitization of traumatic memories and integrates distressing memories into more adaptive neural networks, helping clients overcome previously overwhelming experiences. It also reduces emotional reactivity and creates a greater sense of emotional stability.
9. Promoting the Healing of Relationships
EMDR helps teens address underlying trauma and negative beliefs impacting their interpersonal relationships. It can also inspire empathy and understanding in teens by improving their knowledge of how past experiences affect their current relationships.
10. Preventing Future Mental Health Issues
Unresolved trauma can lead to several psychological challenges, including the development of mental health disorders like PTSD and depression. EMDR addresses cognitive distortions and emotionally charged memories that may lead to such disorders.
Gender Differences in EMDR Therapy Outcomes
A 2024 Cambridge study established that males were more likely to drop out of EMDR treatment than females. This shows that gender has a role to play in the relationship between therapy-type dropouts. It may be right to assume that teen girls are likely to show slightly better EMDR treatment responses compared to teenage boys. Here are other gender-related factors that may contribute to the differences in EMDR therapy outcomes:
Sociocultural Factors
Factors such as gender roles, cultural norms, and societal expectations may influence how teenage boys and girls perceive and respond to trauma and EMDR therapy. This may affect treatment outcomes.
Bilological Differences
Gender-based neurological and hormonal differences influence how teens process and regulate emotions. They may end up affecting EMDR mechanisms and the technique’s outcomes.
Coping Strategies
Males and females tend to cope differently. Teenage girls are more likely to take advantage of interpersonal support networks and emotion-focused coping strategies than boys. This may lead to different treatment outcomes.
Benefits of EMDR for Adolescent Trauma Recovery
Some of the benefits from eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy include:
Reduced Trauma-Related Symptoms
EMDR targets traumatic memories and the negative emotions they evoke. This helps alleviate distressing symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, flashbacks, and intrusive thoughts.
Enhanced Emotional Regulation
EMDR helps teens understand the connection between their past trauma and present emotions. As a result, they are empowered to regulate their moods and respond better to life situations.
Improved Self-Esteem
EMDR can help teens reframe negative self-perceptions associated with their trauma, leading to improved self-esteem. They may also experience increased confidence, self-compassion, and a greater sense of control.
Adaptive Coping Strategies
EMDR helps teens reprocess traumatic memories and experiences, leading to improved coping strategies and emotional resilience. This makes teens better positioned to handle future challenges.
However, to experience such benefits, teens and parents need to engage trained and experienced therapists.
Nexus Teen Academy’s Approach to EMDR Therapy for Teens in Arizona
Engage a multidisciplinary team comprising certified EMDR therapists, psychiatrists, and other professionals. This ensures comprehensive care and support during the EMDR process.
Incorporate EMDR into individualized treatment plans. Our plans are tailored to each teen’s specific needs. We consider factors such as the teen’s developmental stage, the type and severity of trauma, and co-occurring mental health disorders during treatment planning.
Combine EMDR with evidence-based therapies, such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and motivational interviewing for improved treatment outcomes. We may also incorporate expressive arts therapy to address the needs of traumatized teenagers comprehensively.
Regularly monitor the teenager’s progress throughout the treatment duration and make necessary adjustments.
Additionally, we conduct psychoeducation before the EMDR process begins. This helps teens and their family members understand the process and its potential benefits to prepare for therapy.
Phases of EMDR Treatment
Here is a breakdown of our EMDR treatment process, from the first step to the last:
History Taking and Preparation
We first conduct extensive evaluations to gather as much information about the teenager as possible. Such information includes their trauma history, current life situation, and symptoms. We then explain the EMDR process, build rapport with them, and enhance their coping skills.
Assessment and Treatment Planning
We then assess the beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations associated with the teenager’s traumatic memories. Based on the results, we engage the teenager and parents/caregivers in detailed treatment planning.
Desensitization
The third step is desensitization. Here, we ask the teen to focus on a particular memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation. This helps them desensitize the memory and reduce its intensity.
Installation
During installation, we help teens replace the negative or distorted beliefs associated with a particular memory with positive emotions or beliefs. This process often includes identifying self-affirming images or statements.
Body Scan
Our therapists then guide your teenager through a body scan to help them identify any lingering physical discomfort or tension relating to the particular memory. Teens engage in bilateral stimulation once more to process and release such sensations.
Closure and Re-evaluation
Closure is done at the end of the session to help the teen stay grounded and stable. The therapist may teach additional coping skills for managing residual distress that may have occurred during the sessions. Reevaluation occurs at the beginning of the next session. The therapist checks in with the teenager to assess progress and identify new targets.
Applications of EMDR for Adolescent Trauma Treatment
Here is how we use EMDR during adolescent trauma treatment:
To treat post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and complex trauma.
To address anxiety and depressive disorders.
To help teens deal with grief and loss.
To address and resolve attachment and relationship issues.
Considerations and Precautions
Here are some of the precautions and considerations that guide our teen EMDR therapy program:
We conduct thorough screening and comprehensive assessments to establish the teenager’s suitability for EMDR therapy. We usually consider their readiness, stability, and the presence of any comorbidities.
We have clear protocols for managing emergencies and crises during EMDR sessions. This ensures that teenagers receive appropriate support and resources.
Before sessions officially begin, we ensure teens have sufficient emotional regulation strategies and coping skills. This helps manage distress and fosters a sense of safety and stability.
We monitor the teenager’s progress, anticipate and address potential side effects, and make necessary adjustments.
We also incorporate techniques such as imagery and grounding exercises during the EMDR process to help teenagers manage intense emotions and stay stable.
EMDR and Residential Treatment
Residential treatment offers teens a safe, structured, and supportive environment to overcome their mental health challenges, grow resilient, and develop effective coping strategies. At Nexus Teen Academy’s Arizona mental health treatment center for teens, we usually integrate EMDR to help teens process and heal from trauma. This also provides traumatized teens with a safe environment for stabilization and ongoing support.
Get Help for Trauma at Nexus Teen Academy’s EMDR Therapy Program
Whether you are looking for highly qualified and experienced EMDR therapists or family involvement interventions, Nexus Teen Academy has it all. We offer high-quality interventions administered by experienced therapists to help teens overcome a range of mental health challenges, including trauma. Moreover, we understand the importance of involving the entire family unit in the healing process. To accommodate this, we offer family therapy options as well as weekly family time to ensure that teens and families can meet regularly while in treatment.
Contact us to learn more about our individualized treatment plans and how we can help your teen overcome past trauma.
Most teens start benefiting from EMDR after a few sessions. However, progress will depend on a number of things, including the severity of the trauma, the quality of the relationship between the teen and the therapist, and the teen’s therapy readiness.
Yes. EMDR can be used alongside other therapeutic techniques to address teen trauma and trauma-related disorders. These include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based interventions, and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
EMDR sessions generally last 60-90 minutes. However, the duration of treatment may vary depending on several factors. These include trauma severity, the teen’s treatment response, and specific therapeutic goals.
Although EMDR has proven effective for several types of trauma, its applicability often depends on individual circumstances. These include the nature/severity of trauma, the individual’s therapy readiness, and any potential co-occurring disorders.
Role of EMDR Therapy in Healing Arizona Adolescent Trauma
Published On May 7, 2024
Table of Contents
Adolescent Trauma can have devastating effects on teens, in fact, nearly 5% of adolescents develop PTSD after being exposed to trauma. It may lead to several life changes, including a loss of interest in everyday activities, a pessimistic outlook on life, overwhelming feelings of hopelessness, and mental health disorders. To help teens process and reprocess traumatic memories, treatment centers use a range of therapeutic techniques, but most importantly, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR).
At teen mental health treatment center in Arizona, we understand the impacts of trauma and its possible consequences on teens. We offer personalized treatment, support, and intervention to help teenagers overcome traumatic memories and increase their engagement with life. If your son or daughter is dealing with previous trauma, contact Nexus today and learn more about how our adolescent PTSD treatment program in Arizona and EMDR therapy offerings can help.
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is a unique therapeutic approach used to cope with trauma and trauma-related disorders. It was developed in the late 1980s by Dr Francine Shapiro. While on a walk, Dr. Shapiro noticed that her eye movements seemed to minimize negative emotions evoked by her distressing memories. She then made a connection between bilateral movement and memory desensitization, which forms the basis of EMDR.
How Does EMDR Work?
EMDR uses rapid eye movements and other bilateral stimulations to help patients reprocess traumatic memories in a safe and controlled environment. It is premised on the adaptive information processing model, which provides that individuals can move past traumatic events by reprocessing them.
During EMDR therapy, patients focus on their distressing memories while performing side-to-side eye movements. This engages both sides of the brain in a process known as bilateral stimulation. Such movements are believed to diminish the intensity of emotionally charged memories. The treatment professional may employ alternating audio tunes (played in both ears) or rhythmic tapping of the hands besides eye movements.
How Is EMDR Specifically Adapted to Teens?
For effective treatment outcomes, EMDR is usually adapted to teens in the following ways:
Therapists also focus on building a trusting relationship with the teenager before sessions begin. This creates a safe environment and helps the client feel comfortable while processing traumatic memories and experiences.
Ten Roles of EMDR in Adolescent Trauma Healing
EMDR helps adolescents process and reprocess traumatic memories.
1. Memory Reconsolidation
Eye desensitization and movement (EMDR) therapy helps teens piece together fragmented traumatic memories and ensures that such memories are stored in networks that can be accessed without causing too much distress. This is usually achieved through bilateral stimulations, such as taps, alternating audio tones, and eye movements.
2. Decreasing Emotional Reactivity
EMDR targets and desensitizes distressing memories and triggers responsible for heightened emotional responses in teens. As a result, it reduces the intensity of emotional reactions that occur when faced with past traumatic memories.
3. Building Coping Mechanisms
During teen EMDR therapy, clients develop responses that enhance their ability to cope with future challenges. Reprocessing traumatic memories also promotes new perspectives and coping strategies. This empowers teens to regulate emotions, manage distress, and navigate difficult situations well.
4. Strengthening Self-Esteem
EMDR allows adolescents to gain control of traumatic memories and experiences, creating a sense of empowerment and self-worth and can lead to improved self-esteem.
5. Improving Concentration
Unprocessed trauma can lead to intrusive thoughts, interfering with a teenager’s focus and attention. By helping participants reprocess trauma-related memories and events, teen EMDR reduces such trauma-induced distractions, leading to enhanced focus, attention, and concentration.
6. Enhancing Sleep Quality
Trauma usually disrupts teenagers’ sleep patterns. It can also cause nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and hypervigilance, significantly affecting their quality of sleep. By targeting and reprocessing distressing memories and triggers, trauma often enhances relaxation and a sense of safety, leading to better sleep quality.
7. Resolving Physical Symptoms
Distressing emotions associated with traumatic events and memories can manifest physically as tension, chronic pain, and other somatic issues. EMDR helps resolve such symptoms by managing their root cause.
8. Fostering Emotional Regulation
Teen EMDR fosters emotional regulation in several ways. It facilitates the reprocessing and desensitization of traumatic memories and integrates distressing memories into more adaptive neural networks, helping clients overcome previously overwhelming experiences. It also reduces emotional reactivity and creates a greater sense of emotional stability.
9. Promoting the Healing of Relationships
EMDR helps teens address underlying trauma and negative beliefs impacting their interpersonal relationships. It can also inspire empathy and understanding in teens by improving their knowledge of how past experiences affect their current relationships.
10. Preventing Future Mental Health Issues
Unresolved trauma can lead to several psychological challenges, including the development of mental health disorders like PTSD and depression. EMDR addresses cognitive distortions and emotionally charged memories that may lead to such disorders.
Gender Differences in EMDR Therapy Outcomes
A 2024 Cambridge study established that males were more likely to drop out of EMDR treatment than females. This shows that gender has a role to play in the relationship between therapy-type dropouts. It may be right to assume that teen girls are likely to show slightly better EMDR treatment responses compared to teenage boys. Here are other gender-related factors that may contribute to the differences in EMDR therapy outcomes:
Sociocultural Factors
Factors such as gender roles, cultural norms, and societal expectations may influence how teenage boys and girls perceive and respond to trauma and EMDR therapy. This may affect treatment outcomes.
Bilological Differences
Gender-based neurological and hormonal differences influence how teens process and regulate emotions. They may end up affecting EMDR mechanisms and the technique’s outcomes.
Coping Strategies
Males and females tend to cope differently. Teenage girls are more likely to take advantage of interpersonal support networks and emotion-focused coping strategies than boys. This may lead to different treatment outcomes.
Benefits of EMDR for Adolescent Trauma Recovery
Some of the benefits from eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy include:
Reduced Trauma-Related Symptoms
EMDR targets traumatic memories and the negative emotions they evoke. This helps alleviate distressing symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, flashbacks, and intrusive thoughts.
Enhanced Emotional Regulation
EMDR helps teens understand the connection between their past trauma and present emotions. As a result, they are empowered to regulate their moods and respond better to life situations.
Improved Self-Esteem
EMDR can help teens reframe negative self-perceptions associated with their trauma, leading to improved self-esteem. They may also experience increased confidence, self-compassion, and a greater sense of control.
Adaptive Coping Strategies
EMDR helps teens reprocess traumatic memories and experiences, leading to improved coping strategies and emotional resilience. This makes teens better positioned to handle future challenges.
However, to experience such benefits, teens and parents need to engage trained and experienced therapists.
Nexus Teen Academy’s Approach to EMDR Therapy for Teens in Arizona
Here is how we approach EMDR therapy to ensure enhanced outcomes for teens at our teen residential treatment center in Arizona:
Additionally, we conduct psychoeducation before the EMDR process begins. This helps teens and their family members understand the process and its potential benefits to prepare for therapy.
Phases of EMDR Treatment
Here is a breakdown of our EMDR treatment process, from the first step to the last:
History Taking and Preparation
We first conduct extensive evaluations to gather as much information about the teenager as possible. Such information includes their trauma history, current life situation, and symptoms. We then explain the EMDR process, build rapport with them, and enhance their coping skills.
Assessment and Treatment Planning
We then assess the beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations associated with the teenager’s traumatic memories. Based on the results, we engage the teenager and parents/caregivers in detailed treatment planning.
Desensitization
The third step is desensitization. Here, we ask the teen to focus on a particular memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation. This helps them desensitize the memory and reduce its intensity.
Installation
During installation, we help teens replace the negative or distorted beliefs associated with a particular memory with positive emotions or beliefs. This process often includes identifying self-affirming images or statements.
Body Scan
Our therapists then guide your teenager through a body scan to help them identify any lingering physical discomfort or tension relating to the particular memory. Teens engage in bilateral stimulation once more to process and release such sensations.
Closure and Re-evaluation
Closure is done at the end of the session to help the teen stay grounded and stable. The therapist may teach additional coping skills for managing residual distress that may have occurred during the sessions. Reevaluation occurs at the beginning of the next session. The therapist checks in with the teenager to assess progress and identify new targets.
Applications of EMDR for Adolescent Trauma Treatment
Here is how we use EMDR during adolescent trauma treatment:
Considerations and Precautions
Here are some of the precautions and considerations that guide our teen EMDR therapy program:
We also incorporate techniques such as imagery and grounding exercises during the EMDR process to help teenagers manage intense emotions and stay stable.
EMDR and Residential Treatment
Residential treatment offers teens a safe, structured, and supportive environment to overcome their mental health challenges, grow resilient, and develop effective coping strategies. At Nexus Teen Academy’s Arizona mental health treatment center for teens, we usually integrate EMDR to help teens process and heal from trauma. This also provides traumatized teens with a safe environment for stabilization and ongoing support.
Get Help for Trauma at Nexus Teen Academy’s EMDR Therapy Program
Whether you are looking for highly qualified and experienced EMDR therapists or family involvement interventions, Nexus Teen Academy has it all. We offer high-quality interventions administered by experienced therapists to help teens overcome a range of mental health challenges, including trauma. Moreover, we understand the importance of involving the entire family unit in the healing process. To accommodate this, we offer family therapy options as well as weekly family time to ensure that teens and families can meet regularly while in treatment.
Contact us to learn more about our individualized treatment plans and how we can help your teen overcome past trauma.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most teens start benefiting from EMDR after a few sessions. However, progress will depend on a number of things, including the severity of the trauma, the quality of the relationship between the teen and the therapist, and the teen’s therapy readiness.
Here are a few risks and side effects associated with teen EMDR therapy:
Yes. EMDR can be used alongside other therapeutic techniques to address teen trauma and trauma-related disorders. These include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based interventions, and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
Here are a few things that will happen during your teen’s EMDR sessions;
EMDR sessions generally last 60-90 minutes. However, the duration of treatment may vary depending on several factors. These include trauma severity, the teen’s treatment response, and specific therapeutic goals.
Although EMDR has proven effective for several types of trauma, its applicability often depends on individual circumstances. These include the nature/severity of trauma, the individual’s therapy readiness, and any potential co-occurring disorders.
Ensure that your Teen EMDR therapist in Arizona has the following qualifications:
A good EMDR therapist should adhere to ethical standards and guidelines and engage in ongoing professional development and education.
Look out for the signs when assessing the effectiveness of EMDR: