EMDR International Association (2018) details the therapy as:
“EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a form of therapy that helps people heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences. EMDR therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and used to resolve many issues and challenges. It is an empirically supported treatment for acute and chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. EMDR therapy has helped countless people of all ages to resolve psychological distress.”
EMDR has proven to help the following concerns:
Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
Chronic Illness and medical issues
Depression and bipolar disorders
Grief and loss
PTSD and other trauma and stress related issues
Substance abuse and addiction
Violence and abuse
Who is EMDR therapy for?
EMDR helps a wide variety of people of all ages and with a number of challenges!
What is it like to experience EMDR therapy?
The experience of EMDR therapy is described by Amen Clinic (2019)
As part of EMDR therapy sessions, a therapist may direct you to hold specific memories in mind while tracking the therapist’s hand as it
moves back and forth across your field of vision. Diverting your attention in this way while you recall a traumatic event has been found
to minimize the emotional response connected to the memory. Researchers believe the therapy activates mechanisms in the brain
that help you process the memory and distressing emotions.
What are the phases of EMDR?
EMDR therapy consists of 8 phases:
1. History and treatment planning
2. Preparation, to establish trust and explain the treatment in-depth
3. Assessment, to establish negative feelings and identify positive
4. Desensitization, which includes the eye movement/sound/tactile
5. Installation, to strengthen positive replacements
6. Body scan, to see if the client is now able to bring up memories of
trauma without experiencing negative feelings that are no longer
relevant, or if reprocessing is necessary
7. Closure, which occurs at the end of every session
8. Re-evaluation, which occurs at the beginning of every session
Additional Information on EMDR
Client stories with EMDR
For more information on EMDR therapy
Other articles on EMDR