The Vagus Nerve…EMDR and what to expect
The Vagus Nerve is the 10th cranial nerve which originates at the back of the head, runs down through the neck, through the torso and into all of the major organs. It is part of the parasympathetic nervous system which is part of the central nervous system responsible for storage of memory and reflexes. By utilizing somatic experiencing and “tapping” into this nerve, toning leads to a natural return to homeostasis. It is true that you cannot separate the mind from the body, and in his hallmark book The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kulk discusses just this premise. Additionally, in Waking the Tiger, Peter Levine describes how important it is to realize they are intimately tied. The Vagus Nerve is comprised of afferent and efferent fibers which send and receive messages between the organs and the brain. When we experience trauma (no matter how small…think missing your bus stop), our bodies respond in automatic ways, and the trauma is not only cognitively stored, but stored with sensations including smells, sounds, and sights, but also thoughts. When traumatic memories are recalled, all of the original sensations come flooding back.
EMDR is a unique therapy that not only deals with negative cognitions, but also somatic experiencing and the body. During the preparation phase, clients are taught calming techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing, butterfly hug, visual imagery and resourcing to help calm the nervous system. Tying in dual attention/bilateral stimulation to recalling memory allows you to tax the working memory, desensitizing the original information when recalling troubling information. Additionally, EMDR is evidence-based for treatment of PTSD, and one of the few therapies that do not require divulging all of the troubling information to your therapist which is different from traditional talk therapy. Another way it differs from traditional talk therapy, is that EMDR is an eight-phase approach. In the first two phases, a history is taken, and a treatment plan developed, followed by/or side-by-side with teaching of calming/coping skills and resource installation (uses slow BLS). Phases 3-7 is when the reprocessing occurs, and use of rapid BLS is utilized in conjunction with focusing on cognitions (negative and positive), as well as emotions and sensations. Clients continue to process in between sessions, and awareness and desensitization occur. Even though EMDR is a protocol-based therapy, like traditional therapy it is not a one-size-fits-all. So, your therapist will take time getting to know and understand you before diving right into using EMDR.
