What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a specific kind of therapy used for stressful or traumatic events, based upon Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) theory which is the brain’s natural healing process. So cool!

After surviving a traumatic event, you might be left behind with nightmares, flashbacks, or general anxiety and depression that you can’t seem to shake… which impacts your ability to go on with your day to day life. 

EMDR was developed in 1987 by psychologist Francine Shapiro. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists EMDR as a first-line treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Castelnuovo et al., 2019). Many studies have been conducted to prove EMDR’s efficacy in treating PTSD, complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and even schizophrenia. One study found that 100% of single-trauma victims and 77% of multiple trauma victims no longer were diagnosed with PTSD after only six 50-minute sessions (Marcus et al., 1997).

EMDR is structured therapy, and is different from talk therapy. EMDR has proven to be more efficient than talk therapy, which means you can feel relief from your symptoms more quickly (Power et al., 2002). 

EMDR involves bilateral stimulation (incorporating both the right and left hemispheres of the brain) while utilizing working memory. You will likely experience uncomfortable feelings during EMDR, but your therapist will make sure that you are safe and okay to continue. Part of EMDR involves learning new coping skills with your therapist. 

Your brain will continue to process after EMDR, which is why it’s so efficient in treating trauma. 

I am an EMDRIA trained therapist. You can learn more about the extensive requirements of EMDRIA trained therapists at: www.emdria.org

You can also learn more here: https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/