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 Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy

HOW DOES EMDR WORK?

The goal of EMDR is to reduce the long-lasting effects of distressing memories by developing more adaptive coping mechanisms

Sometimes, when a person is going through a very upsetting or shocking moment, their brain cannot process the information as it does ordinarily. One moment becomes “frozen in time,” and remembering this terrible event may feel as bad as going through it the first time because the images, sounds, smells and feelings haven’t changed. Such memories can have a lasting negative effect that interferes with the way a person sees the world and the way they relate to other people. 

EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information. Normal information processing is resumed, so following a successful EMDR session, a person no longer relives the images, sounds and feelings when the event is brought to mind. You still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting. Many types of therapy have similar goals, however, EMDR appears to be similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Therefore, EMDR can be thought of as a physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing material in a new and less distressing way.

See below for a more detailed explanation on how EMDR works.