EMDR and Aging: Addressing Trauma in Later Life and Promoting Well-Being

It’s never too late to heal from trauma. With the help of a time-tested, scientifically supported treatment called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), the troubling experiences that continue to haunt you can finally be laid to rest and banished from your consciousness, along with the psychological difficulties they bring.

According to EMDR expert Rebecca Kase, founder of Kase & CO EMDR training and consulting company and author of “Polyvagal-Informed EMDR: A Neuro-informed Approach to Healing,” EMDR is particularly important for seniors. 

Why seniors need EMDR

“Most people experience stress and trauma of some sort over the course of their lifetimes,” Kase says. Indeed, according to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 70 percent of Americans will experience a traumatic event sometime during their lives.

With the aging process comes increased health challenges and medical issues. Seniors must also cope with grief from losing spouses, partners, relatives, and friends. New traumas can even cause past ones to resurface in a domino effect and, along with a history of traumas, can accelerate the aging process. Even simple reminiscing, which is a common pastime for older adults and can keep their brains sharp, can also sometimes inadvertently unearth negative memories.

According to Kase, these painful memories can provoke anxiety and panic attacks, as well as cause persistent feelings of shame or embarrassment. Some people develop depression, try to numb themselves out, or even become suicidal. Substance abuse may also result.

In short, traumatic memories sap people of their vital energy and love of life. “Traumatic events can have an enduring impact,” Kase says. “If they aren’t addressed, they can hold you back from leading your most fulfilling life.

“If there’s a memory that just won’t let you go — a painful memory that crops up again and again — then your nervous system didn’t store it correctly,” she says, “but it’s possible to give your nervous system a second chance to do it again. That’s where EMDR comes in.”

How EMDR heals

Recent research has shown that EMDR both improves quality of life and reduces physical frailty for older adults. EMDR uses the body’s own incredible healing power to reprocess painful memories and stop them from resurfacing. 

The nervous system retains this healing potential at nearly all stages of life. Studies have shown that EMDR is effective for adults of all ages, as well as for individuals whose cognitive abilities have started to diminish.

Kase explained what EMDR sessions are like. “The nervous system needs a fresh start with the memory that’s causing trouble, so that’s why the therapist will ask the person to allow the memory to come up,” she explains. “While the patient is remembering, the EMDR therapist uses a technique called bilateral stimulation. Basically, we’ll ask you to look from side to side or tap on alternating sides of your body — perhaps on one shoulder and then the other. Sounds can also be used.”

This cross-body stimulation interrupts the memory and breaks it down. As the memory fragments into pieces, the nervous system finds it easier to incorporate. In effect, it can “digest” the memory better and store it more effectively. “As a result of this treatment, your nervous system can cope with the memory in a healthy way, and it won’t bother you anymore,” Kase says.

What EMDR treatment is like

Kase emphasizes that EMDR is different from talk therapy. “Patients don’t need to talk about what happened or tell their story,” she says. “In my experience, patients don’t really have to say a lot during EMDR sessions.”

During an EMDR reprocessing session, the client is asked to think about the disturbing experience, and to notice the thoughts, feelings, and body sensations that arise alongside it. The therapist then adds bilateral stimulation, which can produce a calming effect and a distracting effect. Bilateral stimulation allows the memory to integrate to a point of resolution, where the client reports they no longer feel disturbed or upset about the experience when they recall it. Some clients report it even becomes hard to picture the memory or connect with it. 

A single EMDR session typically lasts from a half hour to an hour, while a course of treatment usually requires multiple sessions stretched over a period of a few months. “Treatment programs need to be designed with the specific individual in mind,” Kase explains.

The effects of treatment are normally permanent. “In my experience, if issues ever arise again, a single session or two is enough to reinforce the previous course of treatment,” Kase says.

Break free with EMDR

There’s no need to let a troubling past stop you from leading your best future. “When a traumatic memory has tormented you for years or even decades, it may be natural to feel like it will do so forever, but EMDR treatment can free you from its grip,” Kase says.

Every day matters. That’s why seniors with traumatic memories should consider starting EMDR without delay.