What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

EMDR was discovered in 1987 by a psychologist, Dr. Francine Shapiro. EMDR has been studied scientifically for more than 20 years. This research has proven that EMDR is an effective treatment for trauma and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The web site http://www.emdria.org/ has many articles describing EMDR techniques and research.

After several years of study the Veterans Admistration recently approved EMDR as an effective psychotherapy for PTSD. EMDR is the only therapy that has been shown to relieve PTSD symptoms such as flashbacks and nightmares in Vietnam veterans.

EMDR is a unique therapy in which eye movements, tapping or other types of stimuli are used. These alternating movements produce a state similar to REM (dreaming) sleep. In this state, the mind can let go and resolve old traumas which are blocking current growth and functioning. An interesting feature of EMDR is that it can be a "no talk" therapy -- the client does not have to discuss their trauma in detail to obtain relief.

Research is continuing to determine just exactly how EMDR works, but one theory is this:

Have you ever been working on something like a craft project and you just can't get it to work? You go to sleep that night and dream about craft projects all night long, then wake up in the morning with the solution to your problem. This is an example of unconscious problem solving in the REM dreaming sleep state. EMDR induces this dream state in waking life and allows the brain to find solutions to old problems.

For most people EMDR works quickly (5 to 6 sessions) to resolve traumatic memories, PTSD, phobias and other past baggage which is blocking their progress.