What It Is:

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is an evidence-based therapy developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. It’s designed to help individuals process and heal from trauma by tapping into the brain’s natural ability to heal itself.

At the heart of EMDR is a simple yet powerful concept: when you experience trauma, it can get “stuck” in your brain. This means the memories, emotions, and body sensations tied to the trauma continue to cause distress long after the event is over. EMDR uses dual attention stimulation — typically in the form of guided eye movements — to help keep you grounded while you reprocess these memories, allowing them to move from the “raw” part of your brain to a place where they no longer cause intense emotional pain.

What It Can Help With:

• PTSD and trauma

• Grief and loss

• Anxiety and panic attacks

• Phobias and fear-based responses

• Chronic pain

• Performance anxiety

• Self-esteem issues related to past experiences

How It Works:

EMDR Therapy works by guiding you through eight phases of treatment. These phases allow you to revisit distressing memories and process them in a way that integrates them into a healthier perspective. While traditional talk therapy works by examining thoughts and behaviors, EMDR directly targets the way traumatic memories are stored in the brain.

The process involves the following key steps:

1. History Taking – Your therapist will work with you to understand your past experiences, symptoms, and goals for therapy.

2. Preparation – You’ll learn grounding techniques to help you stay calm during sessions.

3. Assessment – You’ll identify the specific memories or experiences that need to be processed.

4. Desensitization – This is where the dual attention stimulation (like eye movements, tapping, or sounds) comes into play. You’ll focus on the memory while the therapist guides you through the process, allowing your brain to reprocess it.

5. Installation – You’ll replace negative beliefs tied to the trauma with more adaptive, positive ones.

6. Body Scan – This phase helps release any lingering physical tension connected to the trauma.

7. Closure – Your therapist will help you end the session in a way that leaves you feeling calm and safe.

8. Reevaluation – In future sessions, your therapist will check in on your progress and make sure the effects of the therapy are lasting.

Why It Works:

EMDR is especially effective for trauma and PTSD. Research consistently shows that EMDR helps people process and heal trauma much more quickly than traditional talk therapy alone. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that 84-90% of people who had experienced trauma no longer met the criteria for PTSD after just three sessions of EMDR.

The key to EMDR’s effectiveness lies in its use of dual attention stimulation, which seems to facilitate the brain’s ability to reprocess traumatic memories while keeping you grounded in the safety and stability of the present. This allows traumatic memories to lose their emotional charge, making them easier to reflect on without feeling overwhelmed.

What Sessions Might Look Like:

In an EMDR session, your therapist will guide you through each phase, using eye movements, sounds, or tapping to promote dual attention stimulation. While you don’t need to re-live traumatic events in great detail, you may be asked to focus on specific aspects of the memory — such as the images, thoughts, or physical sensations tied to the event.

The dual attention stimulation helps your brain process the memory in a more adaptive way, reducing the emotional distress it causes. You might feel a sense of relief or calm after each session as the emotional intensity surrounding those memories lessens.

Why People Choose EMDR Therapy:

People choose EMDR because it offers a faster, more direct route to healing from trauma compared to traditional talk therapies. Unlike therapies that require you to rehash every detail of your traumatic experience, EMDR allows your brain to process the memory in a way that promotes healing.

Many clients report feeling less burdened by traumatic memories after EMDR Therapy, gaining a greater sense of peace and emotional balance. It’s a unique, effective, and empowering treatment that provides tangible relief from emotional distress.