EMDR Therapy

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and has become one of the most researched and common methods used in treating trauma symptoms. EMDR is a type of psychotherapy that assists individuals heal from symptoms and emotional disturbances caused by traumatic experiences.

EMDR therapy utilizes bilateral stimulation through the methods of eye movement (watching your therapist’s finger go back and forth or a light bar), pulsars (also known as “buzzers”), or headphones. These methods allows the ability of your body to naturally heal in the manner it is intended to do. While sets are being repeated, the memory/experience begins to lose its intensity to become a neutral memory.

EMDR therapy is recognized as an effective treatment by the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, SAMSHA, NAMI, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs/Dept. of Defense, World Health Organization among other national and international organizations.

What is Trauma?

Let’s define it

The American Psychological Association defines trauma as “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical, [and] long term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.”

Bessel van der Kolk describes trauma as “an events that overwhelms the central nervous system, altering the way we process and recall memories,”

“trauma is not the story of something that happened back then, it’s the current imprint of that pain, horror, and fear living inside people.”

When someone experiences a traumatic event, it can get stuck in their brain making it difficult to move forward in their life. EMDR therapy assists the facilitation from the shift of the traumatic event/experience from short-term to long-term memory.