EMDR for Healthcare Professionals

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EMDR helps HealthCare Professionals
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EMDR helps Healthcare Professionals with Vicarious Trauma

Healthcare professionals are prone to experiencing vicarious trauma and post-trauma injuries due to workplace experiences. Therefore, proper treatment, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) will prevent symptoms from worsening. EMDR has a proven track record of reducing PTSD symptoms.

The EMDR protocol for recent critical incidents was tested in a randomized controlled trial in a technological disaster context. The conclusion of this study showed that using EMDR to process the upsetting workplace experience seems to help individuals consolidate the experience in their minds so that it no longer upsets them. After a session, individuals may find that any triggers related to the experience are no longer disturbing.

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EMDR Prevents Vicarious Trauma & Acute Stress Symptoms From Worsening

EMDR can be helpful for the prevention of vicarious trauma symptoms. Early treatment prevents these symptoms from worsening. Some common symptoms of vicarious trauma include isolation, no longer being interested in activities which used to bring joy, irritability, anger, and low mood which can worsen without intervention. Over time, individuals may feel numb or apathetic about their job.

If you experience these symptoms, it is crucial to seek help as soon as possible. With EMDR treatment, most of these symptoms can be resolved.

Healthcare professionals suffering from post-trauma symptoms may experience a range of symptoms, from tearfulness to feeling numb, to the inability to sleep, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, feeling disconnected from reality or dissociation, anger or difficulty regulating negative emotions. EMDR helps prevent these symptoms from worsening and, in many cases, relieves the symptoms entirely.

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Health Care Professionals & Post Trauma or Acute Stress Symptoms

Cumulative operational disturbing experiences over time can lead to post-traumatic symptoms. These symptoms cause psychological injuries that worsen over time without treatment.

EMDR can ease and eliminate the following acute stress or post-trauma symptoms:

  • Intrusive Thoughts

  • Rumination or perseverating about a challenging work experience

  • Flashbacks

  • Nightmares – Sleepwalking

  • Hyper-arousal (irritability, rage, or misplaced anger)

  • Hypo-arousal (numbness)

Getting EMDR treatment for PTSD as early as possible helps prevent symptoms from getting worse. When symptoms worsen, a healthcare professional tries to avoid reminders of the original event(s) by isolating themselves away from friends and loved ones or worse, pushing the negative symptoms down and continuing to work until burnout.

Are you a Health Care Professional in crisis, and need to talk to someone now? Click the button below for help.

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A Nurse who is dealing with Moral Injury

Is it Moral Injury?

If you work in healthcare, you could be at risk of experiencing a moral injury. Examples of situations that cause moral injury are having to act against one’s values or beliefs to do your job, needing to agree with your organization’s policies, feeling like you have to go against your morals or values, feeling betrayed by your organization, supervisor or colleague and/or choices made between caring for others and caring for the family during the pandemic.

Moral injury can lead to feelings of guilt and shame. Over time, the belief that ” I am flawed” can lead to self-harm behaviour, anger, and depression. Exploring these feelings through counselling or EMDR can help.

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