EMDR for Chronic Pain Conditions

Chronic pain is a complex problem involving overlapping physical, emotional and behavioural pathology. According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) chronic pain involves suffering from pain in a particular area of the body (e.g.; in the back or neck) for at least three to six months. Chronic pain also comes in many different forms, including Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP), Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), arthritis pain and Fibromyalgia. Chronic pain can originate from a variety of sources including illness, injury including traumatic events such as assault, motor vehicle accidents and military combat. 

EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) has been found to stimulate significant and long-lasting pain relief for chronic pain sufferers, particularly those whose pain is associated with intense emotional distress. 

In the treatment of chronic pain, EMDR therapy involves the creation of reprocessing ‘targets’ which may be pain-related, trauma-related, or some combination of both. Based on its original use as a treatment for trauma, EMDR targets have traditionally comprised a picture (relating to the traumatic event), negative thought and feeling (including associated bodily sensations) and a distress rating. In the treatment of chronic pain where the pain is not trauma-related, the picture may be based on the client’s description of their present pain. Other modifications include attention to medical diagnosis, use of continuous auditory bilateral stimulation, and self-use of bilateral stimulation.