Increasing Importance of Children's Psychological Health
Today, children's psychological health is receiving increasing attention. The childhood period is a crucial time for an individual's personality development, emotional regulation, and the formation of behavioral patterns that will last throughout their life. However, children can also face challenging emotional states such as stress and anxiety due to traumatic events, family conflicts, anxiety disorders, and other reasons.
Such situations can negatively affect a child's normal development and potentially lead to long-term psychological problems, which may impact your child's life and career throughout their lifetime. At this point, EMDR therapy emerges as a promising treatment method for children.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective therapeutic method discovered by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, initially developed for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Today, it is successfully used to treat various psychological disorders, including PTSD, anxiety disorders, depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. EMDR is also applied effectively to children.
What Are the Fundamental Principles of EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy is based on the assumption that there is a blockage in the mental processing of traumatic memories and emotional disturbances. This blockage causes a mismatch between the person’s memories and emotional responses. EMDR activates the child’s natural healing mechanisms to resolve this blockage and process memories healthily.
The main goals of EMDR therapy are:
Creating a Safe Environment: The therapist establishes a safe and supportive relationship with the child, forming the foundation of the therapeutic process. It is crucial to approach the child's emotional world with empathy and meet their emotional needs.
Desensitization Phase: During EMDR therapy, the child’s traumatic memories and emotional responses are desensitized by exposing them to targeted stimuli (usually eye movements). This process reduces the child's intense emotional reactions to the events. For children who have difficulty following eye movements, bilateral stimulation is applied differently, as determined by the therapist based on the child's needs.
Reprocessing Phase: After the desensitization phase, work is done with the child to process and understand the events in a healthier way. The child is supported in viewing traumatic memories from a more realistic perspective and changing negative beliefs.
Preparation for the Future: EMDR therapy enhances the child’s self-confidence and supports emotional regulation to help them cope with similar challenging situations in the future.
What Are the Advantages of EMDR Therapy for Children?
Some advantages of EMDR therapy for children compared to other treatment methods include:
Short-Term and Effective: EMDR has a shorter duration compared to traditional therapies and provides quick results.
Non-Medication Treatment Option: EMDR does not require medication, avoiding side effects that could negatively affect the child’s physical health.
Child-Friendly Approach: EMDR encourages children to participate in therapy through play and creativity, allowing them to express and share their emotions more comfortably.
Provides a Strong Foundation for the Future: EMDR helps children learn emotional regulation and coping skills that they can use throughout their lives. This enables them to handle future stressful situations more effectively.
In Conclusion…
Maintaining and improving children's emotional and psychological health is crucial for the future of our society. EMDR therapy helps children deal with traumatic events and emotional issues, supporting their healthy developmental process. As clinical psychologists, we strive to understand children’s needs and apply appropriate treatment methods, contributing to the empowerment of the younger generation in our community. The effectiveness of EMDR therapy is expected to become more widespread in interventions for children’s mental health with future research.
