What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.
The following organizations recognize EMDR therapy as an effective treatment:
- American Psychiatric Association
- American Psychological Association
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
- Administration
- U.K. National Institute for Health and Care
- Excellence
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense
- The Cochran Database of Systematic Reviews
- The World Health Organization
Therapists use EMDR for:
- Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
- Chronic illness and medical issues
- Depression and bipolar disorders
- Eating disorders
- Grief and loss
- Pain
- Psychosis
- PTSD/CPTSD
- Sexual assault
- Sleep disturbance
- Substance abuse and addiction
- Violence and abuse
How is EMDR Different from Other Therapies?
EMDR therapy can be done in-person or via virtual platforms and must be done with a properly trained and licensed mental health clinician.
EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or homework between sessions. EMDR supports the brain to resume its natural healing process. EMDR therapy is designed to process traumatic memories in the brain, so the person is informed by these memories but not controlled by them. Part of the therapy includes alternating eye movements, sounds, or taps. For many clients, EMDR therapy can be completed in fewer sessions than other psychotherapies.
How can EMDR Therapy Help with the Healing Process?
Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, others may not be processed without help.
Stress responses are our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create feelings of overwhelm, of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.