Hope for Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) Using Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)

I have been treating more and more TRD in my counseling practice. The higher the acuity and frequency of severe major depressive disorder, the more I am noticing the phenomenon of TRD. When conventional treatments do not work, such as antidepressants combined with Cognitive Behavior Therapy, it is incumbent on practitioners to explore other forms of treatment such as EMDR for treating depression. I have discovered that when there is a high degree of cognitive dissonance, especially when depression is co-morbid with anxiety and/or PTSD, conventional treatment is often ineffective in treating TRD.

EMDR is able to address TRD from a state of consciousness perspective, which is significantly different than addressing depression from the perspective of cognitive distortions.Clients often know that their thinking is "wrong" and that they "should not feel this way," but on an emotional level, they cannot bring about the healing that is necessary to feel better.

I have written previously about the fact that depressive feelings often originate from misplaced guilt and shame, not from cognitive distortions. For example, a rape victim may feel guilt and shame even though he or she had absolutely no culpability for the crime. The victim may know that "I should not feel guilty or ashamed," yet still feel guilty and ashamed. It defies logic because with trauma, logic may not be a factor. EMDR addresses this issue at an emotional level which transcends cognitions or logic. It is a matter of feeling, not knowing. I have had significant success in treating TDR with a combination of Client Centered Therapy and EMDR.

The more I discover the many applications of EMDR, the more I learn about its efficacy and its many benefits.

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