You're probably familiar with the knee reflex. If you hit your knee with a hammer, it shoots up. When under pressure, you can start to exhibit automatic behaviour. You shoot into a reaction before you are aware of it.
In the fast-paced world of being an executive leader, the pressure to deliver top performance can be overwhelming. As you struggle through the complexities of decision-making, team management and strategic planning as a leader or executive, the toll on mental and emotional well-being can be considerable.
Sometimes it hits old sore spots or maybe you can even speak of old traumas. EMDR can be the right intervention to tackle old ingrained beliefs and patterns at the core. In this blog, I explain what EMDR is and what it can do for you.
How does EMDR work?
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a pioneering therapeutic approach that has transcended its origins in trauma processing and is now a valuable intervention in my executive coaching. This psychotherapy technique was initially developed by Francine Shapiro to alleviate the symptoms of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The defining feature of EMDR is the use of eye movements, with the therapist straining the client's working memory. The client's eyes follow the therapist's hand movements while the image traumatic memory is recalled.
Want to read more about this? Then continue reading with my other blog about EMDR.
We all have our bruises and major or minor traumas. And these can certainly be addressed so that the sharp edges of the experience are taken off.
Wil jij als executive aan de slag met EMDR om jouw eigen blauwe plekken aan te pakken? Dan lees je hieronder wat het je allemaal kan brengen.
The 9 benefits of EMDR for executives and leaders
When you go through an executive coaching programme with me, there are broadly 3 phases in which we work together. Read more about the different stages and accents in a coachingsprogram with me.
The psychotherapy technique EMDR can be used as an intervention to tackle old, deep-rooted beliefs about yourself at the core. Below, I describe 9 benefits of using EMDR as an executive leader.
1. Stress reduction and emotional resilience
As a leader, you often face high levels of stress and intense emotional pressure. By processing past experiences that get in your way and addressing any emotional triggers, leaders become better able to cope with stress and remain calm under pressure. EMDR can help you increase emotional resilience, reducing the emotional burden you carry.
2. Improved decision-making
Do you want to be able to make more objective and rational decisions that benefit both your organisation and yourself? Then examining your cognitive distortions and biases and unresolved issues, is a must. You clean up your perception filter, so to speak, read page 128 of the book Get to the Core.
3. Improved communication skills
Effective leadership hinges on strong communication skills. Through EMDR, you can address past communication issues and insecurities, allowing you to build better relationships with your teams, colleagues and stakeholders. Improved communication leads to better teamwork and collaboration.
4. Conflict resolution
Even if your communication skills are improved, conflict is an inevitable part of leadership. Through EMDR, the internal conflict is resolved, which helps to face external conflicts with calmness and overview. Indeed, conflict can be an opportunity to come out better together and learn from each other.
5. Increased self-awareness
Everything is action and reaction. Reflection and self-insight are essential for personal growth. By understanding the root causes of your behaviour and reactions with EMDR, you can make necessary adjustments in your effectiveness as a leader.
6. Strengthened Leadership Presence
Everything is action and reaction. Reflection and self-insight are essential for personal growth. By understanding the root causes of your behaviour and reactions with EMDR, you can make necessary adjustments in your effectiveness as a leader.
7. Increased Creativity and Innovation
By addressing mental and emotional blockages, EMDR frees you from self-imposed limitations. It promotes creativity and innovation. You are better able to think outside the box, see new opportunities and lead the organisation towards growth.
8. Reaching goals
Unconsciously, you keep creating the same experiences for yourself. By addressing past barriers and negative beliefs, you as an executive and leader pave the way to see a clearer path to achieve your goals.
9. Improved work-life balance
Clearing things from the past creates calm and space. By addressing the underlying causes of stress and anxiety, you can find balance. As a leader or executive, as well as a parent or partner, this radiates to those around you. An example that continues to inspire.
Back to the executive. If you consider yourself worthless, you may slip into perfectionism. Everything has to be 100%. This creates unnecessary tension, you find it difficult to ask for help and delegate little or nothing. By using EMDR as an intervention, he can talk about the experience without being overwhelmed by emotions and sees himself more as a powerful person. He has started to stand behind himself and distance himself more from others; he no longer has to drive the gaps to compensate for his feeling of being worthless.
Result: the executive experiences more sense of freedom and fulfilment, better work-life balance, more overview and relaxation in work after applying EMDR in his executive coaching process.
By addressing past experiences, emotional triggers and cognitive distortions, EMDR helps executives:
- develop stress resilience
- take better decisions
- improve communication skills
Ultimately, EMDR can be a powerful tool for personal exponential growth. Self-insight and processing at a deep level can enable leaders to become more effective, self-aware and emotionally resilient in their roles.
In the arena in which the executive or leader finds himself mirrored and challenged, it is crucial to detach from old pains and triggers.
The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.
English 
Nederlands