Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
EMDR therapy is an 8 phase, intergrative trauma treatment therapy that helps people heal from traumatic events, as well as, life disturbing experiences. EMDR therapy is evidence based and is considered a recommended treatment of choice by several international mental health organizations for healing PTSD from traumatic events such as rape, sexual abuse, auto accidents and combat.
As research continues to grow in the efficacy of EMDR therapy, this psychotherapeutic modality has been shown to be helpful with clients experiencing addiction, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and much more. EMDR therapy is designed to help a person identify events that feel stuck and cause distress in their current life. These events can become unprocessed memories that get stored in the brain with disturbing images, thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations that without treatment may lead to distressing symptoms and behaviors.
EMDR therapy helps facilitate the activation of the brain's inherent system to process and integrate the information that got stored or stuck. EMDR therapy will not erase the memory; rather a person will be able to remember the story without all the emotional charge that was distressing before the treatment. The effect of EMDR therapy is not desensitization in and of itself but includes the multifaceted impact of reprocessing all aspects of negative, or maladaptive information into an adaptive, healthy, and useful resolution.