Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
What is EMDR?
EMDR works in the brain. It is believed that EMDR prompts a physiological change on a neurological level. When trauma occurs, there is a pathological change of neural elements as a result of the overwhelming intense response to the event.
When something traumatic happens to an individual, the experience, in turn, causes the incident to remain in its high anxiety producing a form, complete with the originally perceived pictures, emotions, sensations, and negative self-assessment.
Due to this experience, information is stored in separate areas of the brain, and when triggered, is experienced as intrusive thoughts, and/or feelings, flashbacks, nightmares, and other related symptoms.
EMDR is a quick and powerful therapeutic method, proven by many research studies to be highly effective and long-lasting. EMDR can also have a positive generalizing effect on other related memories.
After EMDR processing, clients generally report that the emotional distress related to the memory has been eliminated, or greatly decreased and that they have gained important cognitive insights.
Can EMDR help you?
What do you want relief from?
- anxiety
- chemical dependency
- depression
- disaster-related trauma
- eating disorders
- grief
- limited personal and professional performance
- negative thinking patterns
- phobias or fears
- present life conditions
- rape
- self-esteem issues
- sexual addiction
- trauma associated with accidents and illness
- upsetting past traumatic events
How does EMDR work?
How EMDR works physiologically is not well understood, but it is thought to be similar to the process that occurs during dreams and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, usually in the form of eye movements, but also sometimes in the form of bilateral auditory or tactile stimulation. The end result is that the memory fades into proper perspective, and is less disturbing.
