Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
EMDR has largely become one of the most well-known, researched, and effective treatments for trauma. While initially understood to process traumatic memories and recover from PTSD, ongoing research has found that EMDR is not diagnosis-specific. It is successful in treating anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addiction, and processing other distressing life experiences. Ultimately at its core, EMDR has proven to help us process negative feelings and change the way we think about ourselves and our memories.
Eight Phases of EDMR Therapy
During EMDR therapy, clients will work through the eight phases, which include building an understanding of current symptoms connection to the past, building healthy coping and self-regulation skills, learning adaptive information that will be helpful for their resolution of the distress, and eventual dual attention between a negative event and bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements). Dual attention and working memory taxation allow for the reduction of the vividness and emotion associated with the memory, shifts from a negative belief to a positive belief, and release or resolution of how the experience was being held in the body.
Follow the link to EMDRIA’s website for further information, research, and a brief introduction video.
