Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of therapy used to help people process and heal from traumatic experiences and distressing memories. It’s commonly used for conditions like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but can also be helpful for anxiety, depression, and other emotional issues. I have been able to use it effectively to help clients recover from experiences like getting unexpected news, work stressors like performance concerns, infidelity trauma, divorce, grief and loss, and negative experiences from childhood,

How EMDR Works:
1. The Role of Trauma and Negative Memories
When someone experiences trauma (like an accident, abuse, or loss), their brain may struggle to process the experience. This can lead to unresolved feelings, distressing memories, or emotional reactions that are strong and seem to pop up in everyday life, even when you are not in danger.
2. EMDR and Memory Processing
The idea behind EMDR is that these traumatic memories can get “stuck” in the brain, preventing healing. EMDR helps the brain process these stuck memories, so they are no longer as distressing. The brain does this naturally with most memories, but with trauma, this process gets interrupted. The memory can become like an intrusive thought and the experience can start to represent a negative belief in ourselves that become limiting and detrimental to us.
3. The Eye Movements (or Other Bilateral Stimulation)
During an EMDR session, I will ask you to focus on a traumatic memory or thought while at the same time moving your eyes back and forth. This is done by following an object at varying speeds and for lengths of time. Sometimes instead of or in addition to eye movements, I might use sounds or tones to hone attention (assists with neurodivergence or disassociation) or manual techniques (alternating between the hands).
The eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation (which means stimulating both sides of the brain) are believed to help the brain process the traumatic memory, much like how it processes information during REM sleep, which is the phase of sleep when most dreaming and memory processing occur.
4. Desensitization and Reprocessing
As you focus on the memory and do the eye movements, clients often begin to notice that the memory becomes less intense, less upsetting, and more manageable. This is the desensitization part.
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During the session, I will ask you to check in with how they feel and guide them through multiple rounds of eye movements and processing until the traumatic memory no longer triggers the same intense emotional response. You begin to reprocess the memory in a way that feels more neutral or resolved.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn’t require you to go into detail about the traumatic experience. This makes it a good option for people who find it difficult to talk about their trauma.
EMDR does not erase memories. Instead, it helps you recall the event without the overwhelming emotional charge that was once attached to it. It becomes a part of the past rather than something that feels present and threatening.
EMDR is sometimes quicker than other forms of therapy. Some people experience relief from distressing memories in just a few sessions, though it varies from person to person.
The key to EMDR is bilateral stimulation, which engages both sides of the brain while recalling the memory, helping the brain process and integrate the traumatic experience.
EMDR is effective for many types of traumas, from major life-threatening events to smaller but impactful emotional wounds. It helps people resolve traumatic memories without needing to relive them in painful detail. It can work relatively quickly compared to other therapies.
EMDR is backed by research and is widely recognized as an effective treatment for trauma. It’s a unique approach because of the use of eye movements or other bilateral stimulation to assist in the healing process.