Is This Right for ME? Benefits of EMDR Therapy for BIPOC Community

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), like many psychotherapy approaches, was not initially for the BIPOC and other minority communities. However, there is an increasing amount of BIPOC clinicians who are specializing in EMDR therapy. They do this to adapt and provide treatment to the racial minority clients they serve in anti-racist, intersectional, and culturally competent ways. If you are considering trying a different approach or supplementing your current therapy with a different method, then read about the benefits of EMDR therapy.

Theory Behind EMDR Therapy

The theory behind EMDR therapy is that trauma from disturbing events changes the way we process information and gets stuck. The reprocessing stage of EMDR stimulates our mind-body’s natural ability to process and store information that allows us to release emotional distress that we are holding on to. This mechanism allows for the painful memories and beliefs we may have of ourselves to be stored differently. For a more in depth breakdown on how EMDR can help heal trauma, check out my previous post here!

Benefits of EMDR Therapy in Brooklyn, NY for BIPOC individuals:

1. There is less talking in EMDR.

It can be very difficult to discuss painful events and trauma in therapy, especially in our communities where we may have been taught that, “what happens in our family stays in the family”. EMDR is a therapeutic approach where you do not need to share every detail with your therapist when reprocessing specific memories. You can share what comes up when checking in with your therapist and then allow your brain to continue processing on its own.

2. You are in the driver’s seat.

The insights you gain during EMDR therapy are less about the therapist’s interpretation of your experience or challenging your thoughts, and more about your own emotional processes. This can be empowering for many who have felt powerless to the memories they are working on. Or for those of us who identify as BIPOC and have experienced mistrust and mistreatment within the medical and healthcare system. Your trauma therapist is there to support and engage when necessary to keep you grounded in the present. However, they are a passenger as you both witness what comes up when reprocessing specific events.

3. EMDR Therapy is a way to connect with many of our ancestor’s traditional ways of healing within our bodies.

Colonization and capitalism has let us focus less on our bodily sensations and emphasize how and what we think; however, EMDR therapy allows us to slow down and connect the mind and body to integrate healing in real-time during the session. You will be prompted to connect with the painful memories of the past. And, you will do this while acknowledging how the distress is impacting you in the present. While embracing any physical and emotional sensations that arise with the support of your trauma therapist in Brooklyn, NY.

To hear more about the benefits of EMDR therapy and experiences with EMDR in BIPOC communities, feel free to check out this post from The Root or the Therapy for Black Girls podcast episode, “What in the World is EMDR?” on Spotify!