Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a popular, effective, and highly regarded psychological treatment. It’s applied to many conditions and problems — including managing painful or traumatic memories. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is also a popular, effective, and highly regarded form of psychological treatment. While it is, in some ways, influenced by CBT, EMDR has some very unique characteristics. It’s best known for its stellar record with people struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Choosing between the two is a personal decision that should be discussed with an experienced therapist. But the first step is to educate yourself on the two modalities.
Some CBT Basics
What you feel and think, how you behave, and the sensations your body feels are all connected in complex ways. This concept is the foundation of CBT. Simply put, if negative or distorted thought patterns exist, you can thus be trapped in negative beliefs and behaviors. You may also get caught in a cycle of physical problems.
A CBT therapist will guide you toward ways to challenge the initial distortions. Changing the foundational belief can often change your entire state of mind. The focus is on the present and through a blend of behavioral and talk therapy, problems are broken down and addressed in smaller parts.
Some of the conditions commonly treated with CBT are:
PTSD
Anxiety
Disordered eating
Psychosis
Depression
Insomnia
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Some EMDR Basics
EMDR is far more focused on the past than CBT. It also relies much less on talk therapy. Basically, here’s how it works:
The client chooses a negative/traumatic memory to focus on
Once that memory is in their mind, the therapist engages in hand or finger movement directly in front of the client’s eyes
The client is instructed to follow the movements with their eyes while maintaining focus on the negative memory
This unusual approach can induce a mental state that resembles rapid eye movement (REM) sleep — but the client is wide awake. In this state, they are able to maintain focus on the traumatic event without being triggered. This can facilitate the processing and resolution of the trauma. From there, the client is guided into focusing on a positive belief and using it to “replace” the now-resolved negative image.
While EMDR is frequently associated with PTSD, it is also an effective treatment for conditions like:
Anxiety disorders
Depression
Borderline Personality Disorder
Disordered eating
Psychosis
Some Key Differences Between CBT and EMDR
As you can see, both CBT and EMDR can direct you to a similar destination. How you get there, of course, is where the main differences lie. EMDR may be more likely to be suggested for PTSD as a frontline treatment. However, CBT is more frequently recommended for trauma survivors dealing with insomnia.
Other differences to factor in are cost and geographical availability. Also, when it comes to the length of treatment, EMDR typically involves fewer sessions. However, this can vary depending on your mental health history, goals, and how you respond to the early treatment sessions. All such details are best determined once you’ve connected with a compatible mental health practitioner.
It’s Not a Competition
All the many different types of therapy serve distinct and particular purposes. What matters not is which is “best” overall. You need to discern what is the best choice for you. That’s why engaging in a free consultation can be so critical. You get a chance to connect with a professional. You can discuss your needs and goals. In addition, you can ask many of the questions you have. Feel free to email me.
With all this in mind, I invite you to reach out at your earliest convenience to get this journey started. Please click on EMDR Treatment if you’ re interested in reading more about EMDR.