EMDR THERAPY

EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING

WHAT IS EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization  and Reprocessing Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR): EMDR is a psychotherapy approach that helps individuals process traumatic and distressing memories and their related emotions and cognitions. Using bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, auditory tones, or tapping), traumatic memories can be adaptively processed, leading to a reduction of emotional distress and development of better coping strategies. 


EMDR relies on the brain’s  ability to constantly learn by taking  past experiences and updating  them with present information. This adaptive learning is constantly updating the brain’s memory network systems. As such, EMDR breaks through the interference of past emotionally charged experiences and helps us let go of the distress related to the past by way of updating our experiences to a healthier present perspective. 

In the process of EMDR, your therapist will guide you to organize both your negative and positive thoughts and emotions. Then your therapist will facilitate bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or alternating tapping. This procedure will aid in the brain healing to allow you to effectively experience relief from disturbing memories.

How is EMDR different from other therapy modalities?

You will be asked a set of questions to access and activate the negative experience and the desired adaptive resolution.  Sets of rapid eye movement (or other forms of bilateral stimulation) will be applied. You will be encouraged to just “free associate” and allow the brain to work through the  experience.  Sets of eye movements will be alternated with brief reports about what you are experiencing. EMDR processing will continue until the past experience has been updated to an adaptive present perspective.  With long standing issues, this process may take multiple sessions.  Once the disturbing experiences have been updated, you and your therapist will work together to integrate these new insights and perspectives into your daily life.

What does an EMDR session look like?

  • Yes, often therapists will refer a client to one of our EMDR trained therapists for EMDR specifically while they continue in their current therapy process.

  • No, it is not necessary to talk about all  the details of your experiences for them to be processed.

  • Yes, you may. Emotions and sensations may come up during processing; although, you will be  prepared, and your therapist will help you safely manage them. Once they are processed, they rarely come back!  

  • Duration is dependent upon the complexity of  your problems. Often, EMDR is one component of several treatment approaches that will be used to help you reach  your treatment goals.  

  • No. During EMDR processing, you  are present and fully in control.

FAQs

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