Foundation for Research and Exploration of Mind Motivation

Hugh Harmon, Ph.D. Founder      Pamela Chilton, C.Ht. Director

The Treasure Chest

EMDR / BLS FOR SELF TRANSFORMATION

by Pamela Chilton, Director

Foundation For Research & Exploration of Mind Motivation, 760-772-6628

www.odysseyofthesoul.org

A "new" (relatively) technique "sweeping" the fields of psychotherapy and psychology is E.M.D.R., which stands for: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a means of re-processing thoughts/memories to desensitize emotions/trauma / pain and negative beliefs/programming. Which means it also helps with:

• Ending addictive urges and thus addictive behaviors.
• Enhancing motivation for goal achievement.
• Imprinting positive beliefs and programs.
• Helps to relieve and sometimes cure chronic pain. (See Working With Chronic Pain Below)

EMDR refers to eye movements - the eyes moving side to side. It has been discovered the same effects occur with alternating sound movements such as the sounds of waves alternating from one ear to the other or with alternating physical sensations such as tapping one side of the body and then the other. Therefore many therapist now prefer to use the term Bi-Lateral Stimulation or BLS .

EMDR/BLS has been defined as: "An empirically validated treatment that integrates cognitive therapy and experiential therapy." It is believed this alternating stimulation of the right and left brain activates links between areas of the brain in which "unprocessed" or "erroneously processed" thoughts, beliefs, emotions, memories, pain and trauma have been isolated with parts of the brain used for completing processing and finding adaptive resolutions. Brain scans during and after treatment show such brain changes occurring during the process of EMDR/BLS. (See "Healing Anxiety and Depression" by Daniel Amen for pictures of this.)

EMDR / BLS is particularly helpful for people who say they are "not interested in working with the past" as EMDR/BLS can be described as "working in the present, using the past if it comes up naturally."

What seems to occur during the process is: 1: A linking of stored information. 2. A Mindfulness. (An opportunity to "step back" and observe events / thoughts / emotions / images / pain in a non-judging way which leads to an acceptance and letting go of these.

Psychotherapists and psychologists who do not adequately understand what hypnosis is and what it isn’t claim EMDR /BLS is "not hypnosis". Yet, the definition given by the American Medical Association for hypnosis is: "A temporary condition of altered attention". A definition of EMDR/BLS by the EMDR Institute is: "Temporarily alters the focus of attention in a way that allows one to look at things in a different way and thus process them differently." This definition is a good one for both hypnosis AND hypnotherapy. It is interesting to note the "old fashioned" method of inducing hypnosis is to have the subject’s eyes move side to side (EMDR) while watching a swinging watch. Hypnosis is also easily induced by focusing attention on a steady sound (as with BLS) or physical sensation (again, as with BLS).

With EMDR/BLS people do not expect to enter into an unconscious state and thus do not fear these techniques. Many people continue to fear hypnosis because they believe, erroneously, hypnosis is an unconscious state. Thus they fear losing control. Actually, people are in control of themselves no matter how deeply they are in hypnosis. Even the relatively few numbers of people who are able to enter into an unconscious hypnosis state are in control. People in hypnosis can bring themselves out of it or to a lighter state instantly, just by thinking it.

The Advantages of EMDR/BLS

1. People who fear hypnosis, do not fear EMDR /BLS.
2. For people who are resistant to feeling and expressing strong emotions or physical sensations during hypnotherapy, it can take time for mental changes (reprocessing) to filter to the physical levels. Because of this ‘time gap’ people can fail to recognize the connection between ‘what happened in hypnosis’ and the physical changes that eventually occur. EMDR /BLS affects the brain immediately, allowing people to feel "differently" immediately. This is enormously encouraging to them and is a powerful motivation for continuing with the therapy until it is complete.
3. Many people dislike dealing with the past. These people are often open to therapy only if the approach is to address the present. (If the past comes up naturally during the process they are more likely to accept this than if the therapist suggests working with the past.)
4. Many insurance providers cover the use of EMDR/BLS when used by licensed professionals, who are more often psychotherapists or psychologists than hypnotherapists, most of whom are certified, not licensed

It should be noted when the eye balls actively move beneath the lids during hypnosis brain scans show processing occurring in the brain, just as with the use of EMDR / BLS. Such eye movements do not happen spontaneously or they happen less spontaneously with people who are emotionally "guarded" in hypnosis. The use of EMDR / BLS alone or during hypnosis can be very helpful with such people.

Important Note: Lasting changes will not occur through the use of any therapy or any healing modality unless and until there is both a conscious AND SUBCONSCIOUS resolution of the underlying roots of what has caused the problem. When there is emotional resistance to healing or transformation, this resistance must be addressed by working with the emotional resistant level of consciousness (inner babe, inner child, inner teen, past life personality, sub-personality).

Therapists of all professional backgrounds who are not well trained in regression therapy should use EMDR/BLS very cautiously (or not at all if not trained in these techniques) as doing so can lead to a spontaneous reliving of traumatic memories, including suppressed memories.

Therapists of all professional backgrounds who are not trained in working with multiple personalities or sub personalities should not use EMDR/BLS if they suspect such personalities as the use of these techniques can "trigger" the spontaneous "outing" of such a personality.

Example of The Use of EMDR /BLS:

Brandlyn is a client who was working with reducing her weight. We tested (with NMR, a refined muscle testing response technique described in the Treasure Chest on our website) Brandlyn’s emotions and level of distress when she said and thought: "My body is ugly". NMR indicated shame at a distress level of 10. The feeling of shame was, for her, a "sinking feeling in my stomach" and a "a burning in my cheeks." I put earphones on Brandlyn as she simultaneously focused on her sinking stomach, hot cheeks and the thought "My body is ugly." After only 30 seconds of listening to the alternating sounds of waves she blurted out: "My God, my mother told me that. How ridiculous. I don’t have an ugly body!" She said her shame felt gone and when we tested this with NMR her subconscious indicated the shame was gone. However, when we tested the thought: "I have a beautiful body" the level of belief was a 0. When asked what was blocking this belief she responded: "My husband telling me I’m fat." She thought this remark of his was not making her feel ashamed and sad. NMR indicated this was correct. She was feeling anger, not shame or sadness. She was dismayed when further testing with NMR showed Brandlyn had chosen to express her anger at him by deliberately (albeit subconsciously, so she was not consciously aware of this), getting fatter. I asked Brandlyn to locate the feelings of anger in her body as she thought of her husband’s remark. She reported: "My head is pounding. My stomach is churning. I feel myself shaking inside and I feel a kind of white heat all around my head.." The level of anger was at a 10 and the distress was also at a level 10. I asked Brandlyn to think of her husband’s remark as she listened to the alternating sounds of the waves and to pay attention to the feelings and thoughts that followed. After two minutes passed, Brandlyn’s face softened and tears trailed down her cheeks. She opened her eyes. I asked her what she was thinking before she opened her eyes. Brandlyn answered: "I suddenly thought about my mother. Being overweight made her miserable for her whole life but she never did anything about it. I think my husband was just trying to tell me I need to do something about my fat - it’s making me miserable which is making him miserable. I don’t think he meant to hurt me. He doesn’t know what to do for me, which makes him mad at himself. That’s why he sounded mad when he called me fat." When we tested for her level of distress it had gone down to a level 3. Testing showed the anger at her husband was gone, but now she felt shame again (level 3) and guilt (level 7). I asked Brandlyn to think of herself exercising and the weight coming off. I tested to see if this caused her distress. It did not. I tested for resistance to exercise. There was none. I then tested her to the thought: "I can have a beautiful body." The level of belief was a weak 3. I had her close her eyes again and listen to the alternating sounds of the waves as I gave her suggestions for drifting deeper within her mind. I then gave her suggestions for imagining herself achieving the size body that felt comfortable, safe, and attractive to her. Following this her level of belief was total.

To read more on EMDR/BLS go to: www.emdrportal.com

Read More on Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy in the Treasure Chest www.odysseyofthesoul.org

Seven Simple Steps For Self Use of EMDR / BLS

NOT recommended for self-use for traumatic emotions or memories.

EMDR/BLS CAN be used by oneself to reprocess negative (even obsessive) thoughts, beliefs, emotions, urges and memories and to imprint positive ones. How? The steps are:

1. Focus on the negative or compulsive thought, belief, emotion, urge, memory that seems "stuck" in your mind. Notice how you are feeling and where you feel it, whether around your body or in your body. (Upset stomach or intestines; lump, heaviness, or tightness in the chest or throat; pinched neck or shoulders, headache, breathing difficulties, etc.)
2. Name the emotion you are feeling, if you can. This helps you to recognize your emotions. Every emotion has a "job". Fear is a warning - it tells the body to flee or fight as necessary. Unresolved fear - even when it is unconscious - will cause an adrenaline rush and a state of anxiety when triggered. Anger defends. (Rage is the building up of anger.) Sadness is a natural part of letting go so that one can find renewal. Did you know tears have a chemistry that is as healing to the body/brain chemistry as spring rain is to the earth? Grief is a signal this process has not been completed, therefore renewal cannot yet begin. Guilt is a call for introspection - for spiritual guidance. Shame, too, indicates a need for inner spiritual guidance that leads to greater understanding.

[Interestingly, unresolved emotions seem to remain in the subconscious no matter how many times they are triggered or released or talked about until the precise events and person(s) that caused them are acknowledged and appropriately addressed by the level of consciousness that experienced them. Fortunately, it is not necessary to do this physically. (Nor is it possible to do physically. Who you are today is not who you were in the past, nor are those with whom you have these "issues" who they were in the past. People change over time.) To the subconscious, the mental realm is as real as the physical realm. Regression therapy can be described as "mental experiences and resolutions that affect the physical".]

3. Whether you can or cannot name the emotion you are feeling, notice the level of distress or upset you are feeling. Assign a scale to this. Suggestions for a scale are: 0 - no distress at all - to 10 - the most distress/upset you can imagine. The advantage to the scale is it helps you to "get in touch" with your body. NOTE: If you need help naming your emotions or recognizing the scale of distress you feel, self muscle testing can be a helpful tool. See How To Use A Pendulum in the Treasure Chest www.odysseyofthesoul.org). Test for what you are feeling and for the level of that feeling. Example: "When I think I cannot do anything right, I feel sad." Test to see if that is true. If you get a "yes" response, test for the level of sadness or level of distress/upset you feel with that sadness. If you have to, test to find where you are feeling this in your body. (Remember, when you work with a pendulum, it is the subconscious moving the pendulum, NOT spirits.)
4. If you can, notice the thought/belief that is connected with your distress/upset/emotion. If you don’t know or can’t find it, just focus on the sensate itself. (If you have more than one sensate, do this one at a time.) As you focus on the sensate (and focus simultaneously on the thought if you’ve found one), let your mind "free flow" as you listen to alternating sounds that go from one ear to the other, OR as you move your eyes side to side (keep your head still and your eyes on an even side to side level) , OR tap on one side of your body and then the other - alternating the tapping throughout the processing. Do not think deliberately. OBSERVE the thoughts that pass through your mind. (A good simile for this is it is as though you are a passenger in a vehicle, not the driver, observing the passing scenery.)
5. When you have a thought that surprises you or catches your attention, stop and notice it. Check on your level of distress. (This is where the scale is helpful.) If the thought that caught your attention is a positive one and the distress level is gone - you’re done. (But see Step Six.) If the thought that caught your attention is a negative thought and your distress level is still above a 3, continue the process beginning with this "new" thought. Repeat the steps 1 through 5 until your distress level is at a 3 or lower.
6. Once you have reached a positive thought (or when your distress level is a 3 or lower, choose a positive thought or feeling to replace the negative thought or distressing feeling), test your level of belief in this positive thought/feeling. (Most therapists use a 0 - 7 Scale of believability for this. I use a scale of 0 - 3. 0 - no belief. 1 - belief it is possible for others. 3 - believe it is possible for self. 3 - absolute belief it is true for self.
7. Close your eyes, focus on the positive thought/feeling, do the EMDR (eyes move side to side, without moving head) or the BLS (sounds that alternate between the right and left ear or tapping that alternates between the left and right side of the body). Let your thoughts "free flow" again as you observe or listen to them. If a negative thought or feeling "crops up", write this down to work with right then or in your next session by repeating steps 1 - 7 until you have cleared all related negative thoughts/feelings.

NOTE: If working with a negative or compulsive thought triggers greater anxiety, distress or traumatic feelings - mentally place the thought or memory in a briefcase. Mentally lock the briefcase and put it in a closet. Tell yourself, when I am ready, I will take this briefcase and what is in it to a therapist who will help me with it. Then do so! Find a well trained hypnotherapist, psychologist or psychotherapist who is also well trained in regression therapy - which should be done with hypnosis or EMDR / BLS.

A Self-Tapping BLS technique is the "Butterfly Hug". Cross arms and tap your shoulders, or your sides, or your hips, or thighs or knees. To purchase Bi-Lateral Stimulation C.D.’s and Cassette tapes go to: www.BioLateral.com. Or e-mail: lauriedela@aol.com or phone Laurie at: 516-826-7996. To play them you will need a Stereo Player and Stereo headphones. Remember, it does not work the same unless the sound alternates from ear to ear.

If you wish an appointment with myself or with Dr. Harmon, call us at 760-772-6628. We are happy to answer your questions in person or by phone. We can also make hypnosis tapes (cassette tapes at present) for your use with or without alternating sounds for your home use.

To get an idea of common subconscious negative beliefs, thinking, and programming see Erase and Replace Negative Programming in The Treasure Chest at www.odysseyofthesoul.org)

EMDR / BLS FOR CHRONIC PAIN

(For More Information See Mark Grant’s EMDR Pain Protocol https://www.emdrportal.com)

Pain is a signal that something is wrong. Always check with your medical doctor FIRST to find what is causing the pain. Long term - or chronic pain - can become a pattern that has become "locked", in a sense, in the mind, brain and nervous system. EMDR / BLS can be very helpful in unlocking this pattern.

EACH SESSION: Before proceeding, focus on your pain. Note exactly where the pain is in your body. (If pain is in several places, note this. If the pain is all over the body, note this.) Make a mental note as to the color, size, shape you can mentally image for your pain. (A mental image can be a thought, word, or visual.) Note also the following: Is the pain heavy? Light? Sharp? Dull? Does it come and go? Or is it steady? Does it have peaks and valleys? Note the level of intensity of the pain on a scale of 0 - 10 with 0 no distress or discomfort and 10 the highest level of distress and discomfort you can imagine. (Or make up your own scale). This assessment is to help you gauge changes that occur in the pain. Note the emotion, if you can, that you feel as you focus on the pain. Anger? Sadness? Shame? Guilt? Frustration? Fear? Resentment? Bitterness? Hopelessness? Note where you feel this emotion in your body and how it feels physically. (Upset stomach, heavy chest, lump in the throat, tightness in the chest, pinched neck or shoulders, upset guts, headache, shallow breathing etc.) If you cannot name the emotion, note the sensation(s) accompanying the pain.

Proceed with EMDR or BLS. Focus on what you are feeling physically and/or emotionally as you focus on the pain/discomfort and let your thoughts "free flow" . Observe your thoughts as they pass through your mind. Just let whatever happens happen and notice what happens. You may fall asleep. You may notice your pain decreasing significantly or disappearing. (If this happens - great. If the pain never returns - hallelujah! If you notice an increase in your pain, notice what thought you are thinking when the pain increases. Note the level of distress/upset it causes you and where in your body you feel this distress/upset. Focus on this thought/feeling and begin the EMDR or BLS again, once again letting your mind "free flow". Continue this process with each increase or surge of pain - checking the thought that triggered this and beginning the process again, starting with focusing on this thought and sensation.)

Continue this process until the pain has decreased significantly. Note the changes in your pain. Is it smaller? Smoother? A different color? How has it changed?

Now ask yourself the following question: "What do I want in the space where the discomfort was before?" Answer this for yourself. It could be a color that is a soothing for you. It could be a feeling. It could be a thought or a sound. Once you have found a satisfactory answer for yourself, do some EMDR or BLS while you focus on what you’ve chosen. Add these thoughts as you do this: "All things are possible. The body has remarkable healing abilities. The soul has amazing powers to heal and transform. Healing is happening now. My body is feeling better. Every day my body is better and better. I embrace perfect health."

NOTE: If your level of distress, anxiety or pain become overwhelming to you or a traumatic memory is triggered - follow the counsel given in the EMDR/BLS Information Paper.