Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured therapy that encourages the client to briefly focus on a memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the targeted memory. EMDR is an effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms. Ongoing research supports positive clinical outcomes showing EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences.
How does it work?
It works to "unstick the stuck stuff". No one knows how any form of psychotherapy works neurobiologically or in the brain. However, we do know that when a person is very upset, their brain cannot process information as it does ordinarily. One moment becomes “frozen in time,” and remembering a trauma may feel as bad as going through it the first time because the images, sounds, smells, and feelings haven’t changed. Such memories have a lasting negative effect that interferes with the way a person sees the world and the way they relate to other people.
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EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information. Normal information processing is resumed, so following a successful EMDR session, a person no longer relives the images, sounds, and feelings when the event is brought to mind. You still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting. Many types of therapy have similar goals. However, EMDR appears to be similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Therefore, EMDR can be thought of as a physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing material in a new and less distressing way.
Is it effective?
In a nutshell: yes. EMDR therapy is extensively researched and widely recognized as effective trauma therapy. EMDR therapy is recognized as evidenced-based treatment for PTSD and other trauma and stressor disorders in treatment guidelines published by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the World Health Organization, and a growing number of national and international organizations. Treatment guidelines are based on reviews that evaluate the research of established evidence-based mental health treatments.
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All information on EMDR was provided from the EMDRIA website: https://www.emdria.org/
What is EMDR used to treat?
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Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
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Chronic Illness and medical issues
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Depression and bipolar disorders
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Dissociative disorders
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Eating disorders
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Grief and loss
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Pain
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Performance anxiety
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Personality disorders
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma and stress-related issues
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Sexual assault
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Sleep disturbance
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Substance abuse and addiction
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Violence and abuse