Content Warming: Sexual Content, Sexual Violence, and spoilers for Babygirl.
If you’re one of the thousands of people who have flocked to theaters to see Babygirl, you may have been wondering about the treatment Nicole Kidman’s character receives during the film. While it’s certainly not the most memorable scene in the erotic thriller, it is one worth diving into.
Here’s a little bit about Babygirl if you haven’t seen it. The movie explores topics of female desire, shame, family, and so much more. Kidman plays a powerful tech CEO who begins an affair with one of her younger interns and they soon enter into a relationship.
We see Kidman’s character undergo different cosmetic and self-care procedures during a montage, so it’s easy to miss exactly what’s happening when her therapy includes a different kind of light for a moment. Let’s talk about it!
What is EMDR Therapy?
The scene where Kidman receives treatment with light is actually a form of therapy called EMDR. EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing and is a psychotherapy treatment that is designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.
When someone undergoes EMDR, they access a singular traumatic memory or event in a very unique way using bilateral stimulation. The therapy consists of eight phases that occur over multiple sessions: Patient history and information gathering, Preparation and education, Assessment, Desensitization and reprocessing, Installation, Body scan, Closure and stabilization, and Reevaluation and continuing care.
In Babygirl, we see Kidman in the Desensitization and Reprocessing phase as a therapist using a specialized light device. During this phase, a therapist activates your memory by helping you identify one or more specific negative thoughts, feelings, or body sensations. They help you recognize how you feel and any thoughts you have while using a moving light that you follow with your eyes. This is what we see in the scene. Sound may be used, where speakers on either side of your body play noise, and touch (if you’re comfortable) by tapping on your hands, arms or thighs, or holding a device that pulses in your hands.
EMDR Therapy and Survivors of Sexual Violence
EMDR is so beneficial because it incorporates the body and physical sensations into treatment. This is important for people who have experienced a physical trauma, like sexual violence.
Here’s how EMDR therapy can be beneficial for survivors:
- Trauma Processing: Experiencing sexual assault is a traumatic event that can lead to a range of mental health symptoms like anxiety, depression, flashbacks, nightmares, and negative feelings. EMDR can help survivors process and work through traumatic memories by facilitating the brain’s natural capacity to heal from trauma.
- Dual Attention Stimulation: During an EMDR session, the therapist guides the survivor to recall distressing memories while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation, typically through eye movements, tapping, or sounds. This bilateral stimulation helps to activate both hemispheres of the brain, which can help integrate traumatic memories and reduce their emotional intensity.
- Reprocessing Negative Beliefs: Traumatic experiences can lead to the formation of negative self-beliefs, such as feelings of worthlessness, blame, shame, or helplessness. EMDR can help a survivor identify and reprocess these negative beliefs, replacing them with something more supportive and empowering.
- Gradual Exposure: EMDR allows survivors to process traumatic memories in a controlled and gradual manner through many phases. This can be less overwhelming than other exposure-based therapies, as EMDR provides a structured and safe environment for processing the trauma.
- Incorporating the Body: EMDR acknowledges the connection between the body and mind, allowing survivors to process both the emotional and physical aspects of the trauma.
- Empowerment: Engaging in EMDR therapy can help survivors regain a sense of control and empowerment over their lives. As trauma is worked through during EMDR, there is often a stronger sense of self and increased self-efficacy.
BARCC recently received an incredibly generous grant from the Austin Memorial Foundation that has allowed us to train our full clinical staff on EMDR therapy. This has allowed us to treat survivors with cutting edge care and provide support in new ways. Austin Memorial Foundation, thank you.
If you need support, please call our 24-hour hotline at 800-841-8371 or send us a chat at barcc.org/chat from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.