If you’re wanting to experience deeper healing and results for your sports struggles, EMDR could help!
EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a type of therapy that was developed in the 80s by Dr. Francine Shapiro. It’s different than talk therapy and that’s what makes it so great! It doesn’t just discuss surface level issues, it gets to the root of your problems and resolves them from the bottom up.
If you are having mental blocks or struggling with perfectionism in your sport, EMDR could help get to the bottom of it. This article aims to help you understand EMDR and how it works, common mental struggles, and how EMDR can resolve those issues!
What is EMDR?
EMDR is a therapy that is based on the idea and theory that our current problems are caused by past, unresolved memories. EMDR is different from talk therapy in that it can help resolve deeper issues that are causing you pain, rather than focusing on the present.
EMDR is a type of therapy that stimulates both sides of your brain with eye movements, buzzers, or tapping while processing a memory that might be the cause of your current distress. The idea behind the model of EMDR is that you may have memories that were not stored properly in your brain and need help being properly processed. It was originally developed for trauma but can be also used for the following issues:
- Athletic performance
- Low self-esteem
- Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Issues at work
- Phobias
Why EMDR is helpful
EMDR is a bottom-up approach – meaning that it focuses on regulating the nervous system and addressing emotions stored in the body before engaging in cognitive processing.
Often, to treat deeply rooted issues or traumatic experiences, cognitive approaches, or trying to ‘think differently’ about your trauma is ineffective.
Why is the Bottom-Up Approach Important?
For people dealing with trauma, anxiety, or performance blocks, traditional talk therapy (top-down) may not be enough because trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind. A bottom-up approach helps by regulating the nervous system first, making it easier for the brain to process difficult experiences, and then you are able to reframe your thinking.
- Studies suggest that trauma is often stored in implicit memory (right brain) rather than explicit, logical memory (left brain)
- Talking about traumatic experiences may not fully engage the brain regions responsible for healing trauma, such as the amygdala and limbic system
What does an EMDR session look like?
First, your therapist will conduct an intake session and will assess if you are a good candidate for EMDR. They will then ensure you have engaged in proper resourcing – making sure you have adequate coping skills and support in your life.
Then you and your therapist will:
- pick a target memory
- decide whether you will use eye movements, tapping, buzzers, or audio sounds
- commence the bilateral stimulation
- therapist will guide the session and periodically check in with you
If you’d like to see a sample session, click here.
Athletes and Common Mental Blockages
Athletes can struggle with many mental performance aspects. Some examples include:
- Perfectionism or not feeling good enough despite good results:
Often, overfocusing on how things could have gone better, can lead to self-esteem issues. If you won gold, won your match, etc. but you hyper-focus on how there were points scored by your opponents, you might experience perpetual disappointment
- Struggling with identity:
If you’ve always played sports and are wanting to take a break or are deciding what the future holds, you might ask yourself “who am I without my sport?”
- Freezing during game / match / comp:
You might have prepared, prepared, prepared, but too much pressure and it’s overload for your system, then you freeze due to overthinking or not regulating your nervous system leading up to your match
- Lack of motivation:
Sometimes, the pressure to keep playing a sport or to win everything can be a lot and you can easily get burnt out. It’s important to assess your “WHY?” If it’s too much for external validation and it’s not enjoyable or intrinsically motivating, your may lose your spark.
Not only are athletes affected during performance or games, but they can also be affected in every day life. This constant stress and pressure can lead to more mental health struggles. Many athletes find it difficult to separate their self-worth from their achievements, making setbacks feel deeply personal.
Recognizing and addressing these mental struggles is just as important as physical training. By managing this stress – through EMDR- it can help you get to the root of your mental struggles and allow you to perform with less stress and manage any other issues you have been having in your life!
You can read more about mental blocks here.
How can EMDR help athletes?
EMDR can help identify the negative beliefs the athlete is struggling with and resolve the underlying memories, experiences, and strong emotional reactions tied to possible fears.
When you are being really hard on yourself or are just not feeling motivated about your sport anymore, there are often underlying reasons why. If you simply focus on the present and do not look deeper, you may find it’s hard to resolve these mental blockages. This is where EMDR comes in!
Some issues that EMDR can address are:
- Fear of failure:
Often, worrying too much about the outcome and applying meaning to yourself (i.e. I’m such a failure!) can produce the feared outcome - Overcontrol:
When people feel like they aren’t performing as they’d like, the will attempt to control the outcomes or control their emotions. But, this will often lead to more anxiety and more problems! Often, trying too hard to control or manage outcomes can actually lead to more anxiety and worse performance. You can read more about overcontrol here - Removing negative emotions tied to past losses or injuries:
Sometimes, you may inadvertantly freeze or worry you may make the same mistake and your body remembers and then you may perform worse than you’d like
Example of when EMDR could help
Let’s say we have a combat athlete with an upcoming match. They have been training so hard for this moment, so it’s feeling like a lot of pressure. This athlete, who we’ll call Melissa, is wondering if training is worth it. What’s the point if she’s not going to win her bout? Melissa has been struggling with self worth in her personal life and relationships and is doubting if she’ll be happy no matter what the results are.
With a licensed therapist, Melissa has identified memories of her family members criticizing her, which has lead to her issues with perfectionism. Her and her therapist then use EMDR to process these memories, nd now she is feeling so much better about her upcoming match! She is doing her best and whether she wins or loses, she is learning it does not define her as a person.
EMDR can help!
Sometimes, mental blocks can feel like a mystery, but looking deeper with EMDR can help. If you’re struggling with perfectionism, mental blocks, performance anxiety, or fear of failure, EMDR can help uncover and resolve the deeper issues holding you back. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR works at a deeper, subconscious level, allowing you to reprocess limiting beliefs, past setbacks, or emotional barriers that impact your game.By addressing these mental roadblocks from the bottom up, EMDR can help athletes regain confidence, stay focused under pressure, and perform with greater ease and enjoyment. Whether you’re dealing with a fear of re-injury, struggling with motivation, or feeling the weight of expectations, EMDR is an evidenced-based modality that has been proven to help.
If you’re ready to let go of the past and release yourself from negative beliefs, reach out today!
