Prince Harry, EMDR and You
EMDR and Prince Harry
I have a confession to make. I love People Magazine!
If you are into People (you’re probably not, but just humor me), you know that Prince Harry has been in the headlines a lot lately. There has been focus on his and his wife’s public separation from the royal family, the birth of their daughter, and the feud with his brother. But the article I found most interesting was in the June 7, 2021, edition where Harry confided, “I needed to heal myself from the past.”
Me too.
I’m guessing you also have some pain you’ve experienced. You also need to find healing.
Harry and Meghan now live next door to Oprah Winfrey, who produced a six-part docuseries, The Me You Can’t See. In it, Harry describes his personal experiences with trauma and anxiety. He also shares the path to healing he discovered: EMDR.
EMDR: A Path to Healing
EMDR is one of my favorite types of therapy. I’ve seen it bring people dramatic healing and freedom from traumatic memories. It also helps people change the negative thoughts associated with the memories into positive thoughts.
So, what is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a powerful right brain/left brain therapy. Traumatic memories get stuck on the right side of the brain. The right side of the brain is beautiful but doesn’t have language and logic. EMDR appeals to both sides of the brain to reprocess traumatic memories. By including the left side of the brain in the healing process, language and logic are brought into the memory. This helps the person change their perspective and brings about peace.
It’s been said that EMDR takes the terror out of the trauma.
Example: A four-year old girl tries to tie her shoelaces but can’t figure it out. Her Dad sees her struggling and says, “You are so stupid! Tie your shoes, you little baby!” The little girl begins crying and says to herself, “I am so stupid!” Several years later she struggles to learn her multiplication tables and thinks, “I am so stupid!” In high school she doesn’t get a great ACT score and thinks, “I am so stupid!” This pattern continues into her adult life. How does she heal from that? EMDR treatment begins with going back to that painful memory of being four-years old trying to tie her shoes and getting berated by her father. The negative thought she focuses on is, “I am stupid.” EMDR helps her to see the truth. Most four-year old children cannot tie their shoes. And perhaps her father was verbally abusive, but she couldn’t see it until she was able to look back at her childhood experiences with fresh insight. Or maybe her dad was an alcoholic and was drunk at the time. Her perspective changes by revisiting the memory using both sides of her brain. This allows her to see it differently. She realizes she wasn’t stupid. That was a lie that got stuck in the (no logic, no language) right side of her brain. She is freed from that traumatic, limiting lie, and is now able to believe, “I am capable” or “I am smart.”
That. Is. Life. Changing.
EMDR and You
EMDR is used to treat PTSD, trauma, depression, and anxiety. Sometimes I feel like the luckiest person in the world because I have seen so many people have their lives changed through EMDR. Seeing a person freed from what’s been holding them back is amazing!
If you struggle with traumatic memories, limiting beliefs about yourself, depression or anxiety and feel like EMDR could help you heal and find freedom, contact the Renewing Life Center to schedule an appointment.