Therapy that helps the mind reprocess trauma can be game changer for recovery, say psychologist, patient

Early in her career, Holly Graham realized she needed to talk to someone about the trauma in her past.

Her ex-husband told her about an "amazing psychologist," so Graham went to see her and experienced a treatment that she called life-changing.

"I thought, this is an incredible tool that I had never heard of, and I was a nurse and I just worked three years as a psych nurse, and no one had ever spoke about it," she said. "I decided that I would come back and do a master's and a PhD so I could provide this to people in Saskatchewan."

That was back in 1999. The therapy Graham set out to study is called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR. A psychologist trained in EMDR will use "bilateral stimulation" — such as rapid eye movement or hand tapping — while working with the patient in recalling traumatic memories.

Graham is now an associate professor in the college of medicine's psychiatry department at the University of Saskatchewan. A psychologist as well as a registered nurse, Graham explained to CBC Radio's Blue Sky host Garth Materie that EMDR therapy can help our minds reprocess traumatic memories.

"If you think of a non-processed memory or event that's happened as like a lump of butter sitting in the middle of your brain, it's unable to process it. And every time you think something, it can be triggered or activated," Graham said. 

"When you do the EMDR processing, it's like that's melting, and the melting really represents the reprocessing and then the memory being reconsolidated to a more adaptive form. And so then, it is actually integrated within our memory networks as less disturbing."

Retired RCMP officer Steve Gloade called EMDR a "game changer" for him. For as long as he can remember, "suicidal thoughts were as common as human breathing."

He spent years trying to get help, culminating in a nine-week stay at an in-treatment program in B.C. designed specifically for first responders and veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. At the end of it, he was "in really bad shape," and someone mentioned EMDR. He was ready to try anything, and asked his psychologist back home in Regina about it.

That resulted in a referral to a psychologist trained in EMDR. Gloade described how the therapist used a collapsible antenna-type tool with a hair scrunchy on the end of it, opening and closing the antenna and moving it around while he talked.

He said he thought it was weird, but he was 100 per cent committed to trying anything. It turned out to be a "huge step" in his recovery process.

"I don't know how, but I can honestly tell you I had clarity in my head … in the sense where I wasn't being consumed by these suicidal thoughts that were constantly consuming my mind," Gloade said. "After 13 sessions, I don't know how — obviously it's a reprogramming of the mind somehow — but they just went away."

Graham said that while there are more psychiatrists trained in EMDR than there used to be in Saskatchewan, the wait times can be very long.

She also spoke about her experience as an Indigenous person — she is a member of Thunderchild First Nation — and the importance of recognizing the effects of Canada's colonial history, particularly the ongoing trauma stemming from the residential school system.

"I think the challenge with Indigenous peoples in our province, in Canada, is finding someone who actually understands colonial history and understands the impact it has had on people's overall health," Graham said.

The ability to access mental health supports, for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents, is also an issue, she said.

"We don't have adequate support when people experience these types of traumas, and immediately when they happen."

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text between 4 p.m. and midnight ET).
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.