EMDR, also known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, is a powerful form of therapy that has been extensively studied and demonstrated to assist individuals in recovering from traumatic experiences. It supports people experiencing PTSD, anxiety, and depression. The goal of EMDR is to help the brain repair itself by resolving unprocessed traumatic memories.
How does it work?
Stress reactions are a part of our innate fight, flight, or freeze response to frightening situations. Traumatic memories and events trigger a stress response in our brains, which our brains normally would naturally heal from. While traumatic events can often be handled and resolved on their own, occasionally a distressing experience, may continue to cause long term distress, for example intrusive troubling images, thoughts, and emotions might cause feelings of overwhelm, stuckness, or being back in the experience. EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories and permits the brain’s normal healing process to resume by simulating REM (rapid eye movement).
